Protect
by Flowmo
Summary: AU A stone that was said to be made God himself was worshiped in ancient times. The stone was known as the Shield of the Tri-ni-set. Whoever owned the stone would become the Protettore, or Protecter of the Set. Aided by the Wreath of Flames, it is the duty of the Protettore to aid and protect the Tr-ni-set with their lives. So what happens when Tsuna finds an orange stone?
1. Blenders are Dangerous

Okay, here's my first story! Sorry if there are any grammar mistakes. Here we go!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

….

Sawada Tsunayoshi in his first few years of life didn't have an ounce of caution. This deeply worried Sawada Nana, his mother, who had to rescue him from putting his hand into a blender for the third time that week. It wasn't as if the seven year old wasn't smart, more like he didn't care about consequences of his actions.

"But Mommy, anyone would be interested to see if their hand could become a smoothie!" Every time, that would be his only line of defense. Nana sighed for the umpteenth time that day. Someday his lack of caution would get him into trouble, and that stressed Nana out a bit too much. Tsuna's mother could only hope that he wouldn't get into too much trouble.

….

Mom had gotten mad at him for trying to make a hand smoothie again, so Tsuna sulked to himself. After getting scolded by his mother, Tsuna quickly left the house to go to the park. There wouldn't be a problem with this if it weren't for the fact that the boy didn't know _how_ to get to the park. So Tsuna just wandered around aimlessly, hoping he would find something interesting to do. After about thirty minutes, Tsuna gave up and decided to go home. He looked at his surroundings, and to his horror he saw that he didn't recognize where he was. Tears started to well up in chocolate brown eyes, and he had no idea what to do.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to the young boy. His mother had always told him to go to the nearest restaurant and ask an employee for a phone. Spying around, Tsuna spotted a noodle shop, and quickly started to run towards it. Opening to the door to the shop, Tsuna didn't check to see if anyone was coming out.

The seven year old slammed into a man, and found his behind planted to the ground.

There was a chuckle, and a hand outstretched to him. Tsuna carelessly took the stranger's hand and had himself pulled up. The man, Tsuna noted, had white hair with glasses that were slightly crooked, most likely messed from the collision.

"Hiiiee! I'm so sorry!" Tsuna bowed deeply to the man. There was another chuckle, and the man simply ruffled the boy's hair.

"It's okay, little one, mistakes happen." The man smiled, and he left the noodle shop without another word. Tsuna looked back at the mysterious man, and noticed that he had dropped something.

Whatever it was, it probably wasn't supposed to glow. Which it was glowing very brightly, in fact. Now, here is where a more cautious seven year old wouldn't touch a mysterious glowing object that they had never seen before. And nobody with even an ounce of sanity would refer to Tsuna as a cautious seven year old. Tsuna, in pure fascination picked up the object.

It was a smooth orange stone, with weird squiggly lines on it. The stone was attached to a simple leather string, and it had an odd gleam to it. Tsuna had a thought to return it the stranger, but decided to simply pocket it. He would return it if he ever saw the man again. Nana was right when she said her son's lack of alertness would get her son into trouble one day.

….

Kawahira was in a hurry when he ran into a young boy at his favorite noodle place. He was enjoying his noodles when he got a call from an acquaintance, regarding the Vongola. Kawahira helped the boy up, and in his haste didn't feel something slip out of his pocket. He was going to have to head for Italy, and be in the country within a day or two. Kawahira was on the plane to Italy when he started thinking about the mysterious stone, and potential owners for it. He knew whoever he were to give it to would have a heavy burden, but it was necessary. Kawahira dug into his pocket looking for the stone, but found nothing. Panic, the most panic he had felt in years, filled into Kawahira. He looked in all his pockets, and found old notes, papers, and even noodle coupons, but not a single stone.

It was on a plane that Kawahira realized he had lost probably one of the most important stones in the world. A beautiful stone that said in Italian, "_Protect the Trinisette" _Kawahira knew that he would probably not see the stone for at least a couple of years. That thought did not sit well with the white haired male.

….

Later that night, Tsuna was banished to his room for getting himself lost. He didn't care though, this gave him time to examine the stone closer in private. The stone was probably the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen, and the squiggly line made in seem even more mysterious. It was still glowing, and Tsuna had no idea how to make it stop. He started to get frustrated, when he heard footsteps coming to his room. Having nowhere to hide it, he put it around his neck and shoved the stoned down his shirt. His door opened without warning, and his mother's head popped in.

"Tsu-kun," she began, voice stern, "You should be ashamed of yourself! What if you had gotten abducted? Do you realize how worried I was when I couldn't find you?" Tsuna hung his head, making his mother upset was at the top of his list of no-nos.

"I'm sorry, mom! Please forgive me!" His mother sighed, and cracked a smile.

"I accept your apology, but do this again and I won't make you fried rice for the rest of the month!" Nana couldn't help but laugh at her son's scandalized face. "Now come on, dinner's ready!" Tsuna smiled softly, and felt content. He was happy with just his mom, and didn't need his no-good dad, who was a construction worker who only came home to get drunk. Yeah, he had a pretty good life, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. The boy checked the stone, and to his astonishment, the stone wasn't glowing anymore. Tsuna went downstairs, the aroma of fried rice drawing him in. Tsuna should've known right there that his peace wouldn't last for long.

….

That was the first chapter! Yeah yeah, it was a pretty slow start, but it will get faster. This was the first chapter, so it's going to be pretty short, but the chapters WILL get longer. If anyone were to be interested, I'm going to put extra info in my profile. Please Review! It puts the biggest smile ever on my face. Expect an update sometime during the weekend. (That is, if anyone's even following this story) Next chapter will be more interesting, so with that... Goodbye!


	2. War Drums

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited. All of you are amazing and awesome and I love you. I said there would be an update during the weekend, and I'm probably going to make Sunday the regular update day. Oh, by the way, Tsuna gets to meet a certain skylark in this chapter. Just to let you know! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR!

….

Tsuna is twelve years old.

Any good feelings Tsuna may have had about his life a few years were crushed, destroyed, and completely obliterated. Today, the boy had gotten a 27 on the pop quiz. The class snickered amongst themselves as the teacher, a stout and bitter lady, announced to everyone about his abysmal grade. Tsuna's face burned a bright red as he slid down his seat.

_ 'How embarrassing...Mom is going to be so disappointed in me...' _It only got worse from there, when during lunch, in the courtyard, some boys from his class loomed over him.

The first one sneered, "Hey, loser, your lunch looks kinda good. How about we have a bite or two?" The second boy smacked his fat lips and snatched the bento from the smaller boy. Tsuna squeaked in surprise and made of feeble attempt to grab it back.

"Oi, Dame-Tsuna," the final boy laughed, "you don't even deserve lunch. Idiots who get bad scores shouldn't get to eat such good food." Tsuna hung his head in shame, and watched the three boys walk away with his lunch. He stood up slowly, and contemplated their words.

_'Idiots don't deserve to eat, do they? Everyone in school thinks I'm just some dumb kid, but it's not my fault! I was out sick the day we learned that material! I deserve that food just as much as those jerks!' _He was only Dame-Tsuna, so what could he do about the bullies?

_'**You want your food, right? You can't let them get the best of you! Fight them, fight them with your dying will!'**_ A calm voice whispered to him.

A warm fire spread in Tsuna's veins, and his heart started beating erratically. He could hear war drums pounding in head. How dare they take something that didn't belong to them? Something started to push up into his stomach- determination.

_**'That's it... Show them who's boss!' **_Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation where his necklace lay. He could feel the warmth that seemed to roll of it. In a burst of confidence, he called out to the boys.

"Hey, that's not your food." Tsuna's voice came out deeper, and his eyes seemed to be a tint darker.

The trio turned back in surprise, and were surprised to see the boy standing tall. Fat Lips blinked, and then started to glare at Tsuna.

"And who do you think you are?" The boy to his right started to laugh.

"Oh, is Dame-Tsuna trying to seem tough? Too bad, this food is ours." Tsuna's war drums only seemed to get louder, and he growled out loud. All three boys seemed rather taken aback by the smaller boy's display. Tsuna really wanted his lunch back, but he refused to hurt the boys.

"Give it back," Tsuna snapped out. In response the bullies started to hoot with laughter. They weren't taking him seriously at all, and the war drums got even louder.

_** 'Give them hell." **_Tsuna lunged at fat lips, who had his bento, and made a move to grab it. All three boys tensed, what the hell was Dame-Tsuna doing? If Tsuna had been anyone else, he would've been able to grab the bento, but instead, his clumsiness kicked in. Tripping on air mid-lunge, Tsuna fell to the ground, face-planting quite painfully. There was only silence in the courtyard, which was filled with people who were watching Tsuna confront the bullies. Then all at once, in one collective breath, everyone present started laughing. Tears streamed down kids' faces in mirth, and others rolled on the ground. With his face planted to the cement, tears started to form in Tsuna's eyes.

"Eh, what can you expect? This is Dame-Tsuna we're talking about." The third bully shouted.

"Thanks for the food, Dame-Tsuna." Fat Lips snickered, and the three boys walked away.

Instead of the warmth and power he felt from before, there was only shame and humiliation.

….

Hibari Kyoya's eyes snapped open from the nap he was taking on the school roof. He could sense carnivorous intent in the air, and it was strong. Quickly, he stood up and leaned on the railings, and peered down at the courtyard. There seemed to be a stand-off going on between three big boys, and a smaller boy. The trio, Hibari noted, were smugly staring at the smaller boy. One of the herbivores was holding a bento, but it most likely didn't belong to him. Hibari moved to get to the courtyard to bite the herbivores for disturbing the peace when the smallest herbivore lunged at the other herbivores.

Hibari couldn't see very well because of the distance, but there was something he could see very clearly. There was a certain glint of something in the herbivores eyes.. A glint that only a carnivore could hold. The herbi- no, the possible carnivore soon fell to the ground, and his face hit the ground with a smack that even Hibari could hear from the roof. The skylark was confused by the cari- no, omnivore. His brown orbs screamed 'carnivore' but his actions said weak herbivore. Either way, Hibari's interest had been piqued.

And that was never a good thing.

….

After his humiliating fall, Tsuna quickly scurried back to his classroom with his cheeks burning scarlet. Right outside of his classroom Tsuna bumped into someone.

"Are you okay, Sawada-senpai?*" A sweet voice asked Tsuna. It was Sasagawa Kyoko, a girl in a different grade. Tsuna's cheeks burned even brighter than before, because she was really cute and nice.**

"A-ah yeah! Um s-sorry Sasagawa-san!" Tsuna stuttered, much to the girl's amusement.***

Tsuna tripped on his feet as he rushed pass Kyoko, and into his classroom.

….

Inside, only Kurokawa Hana was present. She glared at the new presence, who she considered an unintelligent monkey. Too flustered about the previous events to notice the girl's burning stare. Hana raised an eyebrow at this, usually the monkey would shriek and start stammering, not ignore her like she didn't exist.

"Monkey, stop ignoring me. Also, stop blushing. You look like an overripe tomato." Hana snapped. Still, the monkey didn't react to her, only staring off into space. "Fine, ignore me then. You're only a monkey."

"Kurokawa-san, that isn't polite. You're a smart girl, you shouldn't call people monkeys." Tsuna's attention was now fully on the girl. Hana stared intently into the boys eyes, as if she were searching for something. After a moment, she came to a decision.

"Call me Hana." She said plainly.

"Eh? Why?" His doe eyes were widened in shock. She simply looked away, and answered,

"You aren't a monkey like I thought you were. Now, everyday you are to sit with me at lunch." Her tone held a finality that left no room for discussion. Tsuna mumbled a quick okay and scrambled to his seat.

Hana sighed to herself, she honestly had no idea why she said that. Maybe it was because someone had spoke against her. And he wasn't even intending to be mean, just simply stating what he thought were the facts. Hana had stared into his eyes and saw something, even though it was faint. It was determination, and a hint of something else. Hana's eyes narrowed in determination- she would find out what that something else was.

….

Tsuna had managed to get home without encountering any bullies, much to Tsuna's relief. Going upstairs, he locked himself in his room. Pulling it out his necklace, the boy examined it closer. There was nothing different about it- there were still squiggly lines- which he had identified to be a language. If it still looked the same, why had it acted that way? In the two years in which Tsuna had owned the necklace, nothing like _that _had happened before. Sighing, Tsuna put the necklace away. Someday, he would figure out the mystery of the stone.

….

_ "If you're going to do something about it, do it with your dying will." A baby wearing a fedora took out a gun and pointed it at a boy who was faceless, except for his beautiful eyes. In slow motion, the baby pulled the trigger, a smirk on his cherubic face. The boy he'd shot, fell to the ground, his eyes wide with regret. He was only on the floor for a moment; forcefully, he shot up and screamed,_

_ "REBORN!" A flame sprouted from the boy's forehead, but his face was still hidden. He stood there, silently._

_ "What are you doing," the baby growled, "Hopeless-Hiro? You need to fight." Still, Hiro stayed silent. "I will shoot you for real if you don't stop him!" Hiro raised his head, staring at the sky._

_ "Don't you feel like something's missing? Like, we're missing an important piece of the puzzle?" He had spoken in a faint whisper, and Tsuna- who was observing- had to strain his ears to hear. _

_ "What nonsense are you speaking now? There is no puzzle!" The baby was getting annoyed. Hiro didn't respond, and instead, his head snapped to where Tsuna stood. His bronze colored eyes burned into Tsuna, who gulped in apprehension. Hiro opened his mouth to speak,_

_ "Tsu-kun! Wake up or you'll be late again!" _Tsuna cracked an eye open; it had all been a dream.

….

Rushing downstairs in his uniform, Tsuna then grabbed a piece a toast. Kissing his mother goodbye, Tsuna shrieked.

"HIIIEE! I'M GOING TO BE LATE AGAIN! HIBARI'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Tsuna ran down the street, desperate not to be bitten to death. When Tsuna got to the gate, there was no one there. Thinking the coast was clear, he sighed in relief.

"For not getting to school on time, I will bite you to death." Hibari appeared right behind Tsuna, with a pair of tonfas in his hands. Tsuna sobbed internally, he didn't deserve this. The skylark lunged at the smaller boy, who was shaking like a leaf. Letting out a shriek Tsuna barely managed to dodge, rolling out of the way. This movement made Hibari smirk, which went unnoticed by the other boy. Once again, Hibari leaped at Tsuna, and viciously swung his tonfas. With an even larger scream, Tsuna ducked and stumbled backwards.

_**'That's it, avoid his strikes. Keep on dodging, and wait for an opportunity to ****take him down.' **_The voice from before came back, whispering advice to him. The sensations from before came back full force, and the stone was practically burning Tsuna's skin. Regaining his footing, Tsuna continued to barely dodge Hibari's attack. The school prefect's eyes held more and more bloodlust as the brunette continued to avoid his tonfas. Hibari's bloodlust was starting to get overwhelming even for Hibari himself, and Tsuna wasn't sure how long he could keep this up.

Suddenly, Hibari paused for a millisecond, but that was enough time for Tsuna to butt his head against the prefect's head. Hibari stumbled back, ready to fight again, but the brunette was already walking away.

"You need to learn how to control your bloodlust, Hibari-san. If you don't it will be your downfall." His voice sounded exactly the same from when he confronted the bullies. On the inside, he was freaking out. Nobody could get away from talking to the school prefect like that! Even so, he kept on walking, but it soon broke into a run, realizing homeroom started ten minutes ago. Watching the omnivore run away, Hibari stood there in slight shock. The omnivore had seemed completely different, and his eyes were burning a bright fiery orange when he spoke to the prefect. A grin found its way onto Hibari's face. An opponent that he could fight had appeared.

….

Tsuna stumbled into his classroom, completely and utterly late for class. Every head turned to him, and almost everyone was snickering at him. Hana shook her head and looked away.

"And why were you late, Sawada-san?" Ms. Esuko's raspy voice asked the boy. Tsuna's face felt like it was on fire, and a he mumbled,

"I-I overslept. I'm s-sorry." The teacher glared and pointed to his desk. Tsuna got the message and quickly went down the aisle. Someone stuck out their foot in his path, and the brunette noticed a minute too late. Crashing down onto the floor, Tsuna winced at all the laughter. Trying to ignore it, Tsuna dusted himself off and scurried to his seat.

_'Wow, bullies are way too harsh, but there's nothing I can really do it about it..."_

_** 'Do you really believe that? To protect others, you must be able to protect yourself first!' **_Tsuna jolted at the now familiar voice.

'_I have no one to protect besides my mom and perhaps Hana!"_

_ '**Then protect them. Protect them with your dying will.' **_Under Tsuna's shirt, his necklace glowed for a split second. Nobody noticed, not even the brunet himself.

When lunch came, Hana stood up and walked over to Tsuna.

"Sawada! Let's go, we're eating on the roof." He reluctantly followed the girl to the roof. For the first ten minutes, there was tension in the air. Tsuna could barely bring his chopsticks to his mouth, with Hana sending scary looks at him every so often. Tsuna decided to break the silence.

"You... you can call me Tsuna, if you want to." Hana nodded sharply, and said,

"You're more than you appear, aren't you? You're more than just Dame-Tsuna, right? Why don't you show them?" Tsuna's eyes widened, Hana didn't seem like the type of person to ask so many questions.

"Why? Why do you do it?" The brunette sighed, and stayed silent for the rest of lunch. So did Hana, but her questioning gazes never stopped. After school that day, Tsuna went home and opened his bag. Instead of finding his books, there were a pair of wool gloves with the number '27' on them. The boy merely assumed that they were an odd gift from his mother, and decided to thank her later.

'_Well, I better start doing my homework...' _

….

In a shady bar in Italy, in a dark corner, two men whispered to each other.

"Kawahira, are you sure you felt it's presence?" The man smiled, and spoke cheerfully.

"Yes, I'm almost certain that it was activated." Kawahira pushed up his glasses as he spoke.

"Where is it, hee hee?"

"Japan," Kawahira said clearly, "the place where I lost it. Someone found it, and I have to go there to train whoever it is. Training is required of anyone who has possession of that stone."

"Well, have fun in Japan, ohohoho!"

"Well, I hope the person that holds the Proteggere Stone is prepared for this. Because this won't be easy."

….

I'm done! I'm done! I'm such slow writer it's ridiculous. Man, it's kinda getting exciting!

**VERY VERY IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE**

*Tsuna is NOT in the same grade as people like Gokudera, Yamamoto, Vongola Decimo, etc. He is a year older, to be precise. I moved some people's grades around, for plot reason.

6th grade- Tsuna, Hibari, Hana, Ryohei, Mochida

5th grade- Vongola Decimo, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Kyoko

Yeah, that was kinda important.

**THIS PART IS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT**

**Heyo! I wasn't really planning on doing romance and stuff, but if you really want a certain ship, just put what you want in the reviews. I'll try to incorporate it, or if let's say more than five people want

R27, I'd MAYBE put it down as a little extra in the story. It's all on you guys!

***This really isn't important lol but I always had but I've always had a headcanon that Kyoko was a total sadist, and enjoyed watching boys be flustered by her presence.

If anyone thinks that the lunch scene with Hana was kinda weird, I agree with you. It was...kinda off. I didn't like how it turned out. Sooo, once again, thank you sososossosso much for the reviews, favorites, and follows. Please REVIEW, it puts the biggest smile on my face and makes me want to cry from happiness. Constructive criticism is welcomed... and BYE! See you in a week!


	3. Wreath of Flames

Heyo! Welcome to chapter three! Thank you for reviewing, following, and favoriting. Seriously, everyone who took time out of their day to review my story is awesome. Like I said, I'll now be updating on Sunday, just so you know. There is a VERY important authors note at the end of this chapter, so please read it. By the way, the plot is will be picking up within the next chapter, so get ready for it. By the way, you are going to be seeing some VERY ooc-ness from a character. You'll see. Aaaaannndd... I've changed update days again. Now it's gonna be Saturday/Sunday, because why the hell not? Just so you know, Google Translate is my best friend.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn**

HEY! READERS! GUESS WHAT, THERE IS LANGUAGE IN THIS CHAPTER I WOULD NOT ADVISE USING AT YOUR MOM. Don't call your mom mean names unless she's evil. This has been a public service announcement. (JK)

….

There has been absolutely no progress in Kawahira's search for the owner of the Proteggere stone. He had been in Namimori for almost two weeks, but there had been no sign of the owner. Kawahira had taken to eating in a noodle shop after a long day of searching.

_ 'The same place I lost the stone, isn't it?' _Kawahira was almost certain that he had lost it somewhere near the shop, but that was almost no help to him. Also, when he went looking for the _P__rotettore, _if he looked at a potential owner for too long, he got some very weird looks from residents. Kawahira sighed, and slurped his noodles as if they were a source of comfort. After this, he would have to head back to his apartment and prepare for another day of looking. Even though the search wasn't going well, Kawahira was in high spirits. There would be a bookstore sale on Saturday, and even though Kawahira was most certainly not poor, he enjoyed getting stuff for cheaper prices.

….

"Tsuna, we're going to the roof today for lunch." Hana stood at Tsuna's desk and tapped her foot impatiently when he made no move to get up.

"A-ah, Hana, maybe we shouldn't. Hibari might be up there again. We shouldn't um... disturb him." After a week of eating lunch with Hana, the awkwardness between the two sixth graders soon disappeared. They quickly clicked with each other, even though they were nothing alike. Hana felt irritation bubble up into her, and she leaned into Tsuna's face.

"Are you really going to let that monkey get the best of you? Just because he keeps on giving you creepy looks doesn't mean that you should avoid him!" It was true. The skylark could now be found on the roof way more frequently then before. Hibari had been sending him intense stares for the past few weeks, and it was really starting to get to Tsuna. In the prefect's eyes, there was expectation and excitement. Tsuna hoped Hibari wouldn't try to bite him to death, but that seemed unlikely because of what the prefect said to him a few days ago.

"Herbivore, I will expect you to become a carnivore. Then we will fight." Tsuna had stared at the back of the boy who had dramatically walked to the door of the roof. How on earth could anyone be so _weird?_

"Fine, Hana, I'll go. But if he starts coming towards us, we're eating in the classroom." Hana smirked, she liked it when he showed firmness or confidence. He definitely wasn't the Tsuna that everyone else saw. The duo walked up to the roof, which was empty. Sighing in relief, he plopped down onto the ground. Hana followed his actions and slid down next to him.

"Tsuna, there's a sale at the bookstore on Saturday. I've been trying to get you into books, so I'm making you come with me." Tsuna smiled warmly at the thought of hanging out with his friend; it was something he had never done before.

"I'd love to. What time?" The gloominess in his life just weeks ago had evaporated, and was replaced with happiness. Of course, anything good in Tsuna's life didn't stay like that for very long.

….

On a bright Saturday morning, Tsuna rubbed his eyes tiredly. Why had Hana arranged for them to meet at six am? The bookstore didn't open until seven, and it only took fifteen minutes to get there on foot from Tsuna's house. He was currently sitting at the kitchen table eating a quick breakfast with his mom, who was squealing elatedly.

"Tsu-kun, I've never met one of your friends before! I wonder what they're like! Oh, you're so mean for never letting me meet anyone." Tsuna's mom darted around the house fervently dusting it. Tsuna swallowed his last bite and sighed in exasperation.

"Mom, she's not going to even be in the house for long. We'll be leaving within five minutes. There's no need to clean the house." Nana had stopped listening after her son had said 'she'.

"Your friend is a girl? Oh she'll be so cute! Right?" Tsuna shrugged, and the doorbell rang. In two seconds, Nana was at the door and opened it. Not even taking a second to see who it was, Nana hugged the person.

"Oh, welcome to the family! I'm so glad Tsuna has a friend he can do stuff with!" From what Tsuna could see, his mother's grip was painfully tight on the person.

"Mom, let go! You're suffocating them." Reluctantly, Nana pulled away from a very frazzled Hana, who's clothes seemed to be ruffled.

"Ah, sorry! Sorry! My name is Nana Sawada, it's a pleasure to meet you. You're so cute! Please come in." Hana stepped into the house and bowed.

"My n-name is Kurokawa Hana, it's v-very nice to meet you too, Sawada-san." Tsuna was amused at how freaked out his friend looked, and Nana shook her head.

"Oh, please don't be so formal. Call me Nana." Tsuna took his time walking over to them, watching Hana under the pressure of his mother was quite amusing.

"Hello, Hana. Are you ready to go?" Hana nodded quickly, and turned back to Nana.

"Have a nice day... Nana-san." Nana was disappointed that she wasn't going to be staying for breakfast, but waved them off, telling them to be safe.

….

Outside, Tsuna snickered. He had never see Hana in such a state- it was rare to see her lose her cool.

His friend smacked him on the shoulder, and mumbled about him being a monkey.

"So, Hana, why did you make us meet up so early?" Hana gave him a disbelieving look, and rolled her eyes.

"Think about it Tsuna. The only bookstore in Namimori is having it's annual half-off sale. Tons of people are going to be coming. We have to get there early, or all the good stuff will be gone, and I need to get you into reading more books. This the perfect opportunity for that." At lunch Hana often talked about the books she had been reading, but Tsuna never really understood it. He guessed Hana had picked up on his confusion and decided to convert him into a bookworm.

"I guess that makes sense." Reading had never been something he did for fun, so maybe he would find it interesting.

….

At exactly seven, a nervous looking bookstore employee opened the door slowly, and quickly dived out of the way of the vicious customers. The youngest in the crowd were two twelve year olds, and one of them was shoving older people quite violently.

"You see, Tsuna," she shouted, shoving an older man to the ground, "most of the time, it is absolutely unacceptable to act like a monkey." She kicked a lady in the shin and grabbed Tsuna's wrist to push forward. "But, in some situations, you have to act like a monkey, or all the good stuff will be gone. I will not allow myself to make the same mistakes as I did years ago." And with that, Hana elbowed a young couple out of the way. Tsuna resisted the urge to scream. His friend had neglected to tell him that going to a sale would be so hardcore.

The door was in sight, and there was an opening to the right. Hana and Tsuna made a break for it, but at the last second an obese man blocked the way. Not being able to stop in time, the kids slammed into his round stomach.

"Watch it, monkey! You're blocking the way." Hana growled, which scared the crap out of Tsuna.

The man smirked, and patted his belly. "Watcha gonna do about it, girlie? Kiddies need ta realize that adults need books more than 'em." He smirked, and started chuckle. What happened next would forever change how Tsuna looked at Hana. She took a huge breath, she spit right into the man's face. Ignoring Tsuna and the man's horrified gasps, Hana grabbed her companion's hand and ran right past him. Grabbing the handle of the door, Hana threw the door open and made a beeline for the adult literature. They had made it!

"H-hana..." Tsuna was so shocked he could barely say her name.

"Don't say a word about this at school. I'm warning you." Hana started throwing books into a basket she got from the front of the store. "Tsuna, I think you would like fantasy books. Come on, we need to get there!" Running to the fantasy section of the store, she examined several books before chucking them into Tsuna's basket. "Also, we need to hit the mystery section, or I'll never forgive myself. Once again, Hana threw in books she thought were interesting. "Come ON, Tsuna! What other sections should we hit?"

"M-manga?" She threw Tsuna a flat look and shook her head.

"Tsuna, you're hopeless. I'm going over to the romance section. Try and find some other books, you can't just read fantasy." With that, Hana ran off at full speed. By now, the store was getting more crowded, and adults were starting to bump into him. Afraid, Tsuna started to back up, but hit somebody. He turned to stare at the person who looked strangely familiar. He had white hair and glasses, and a checker patterned handkerchief folded up in his breast pocket. The man's eyes widened in recognition, and he smiled.

"Ah, I'm so sorry sir! I didn't see where I was going!" The man shook his head and laughed.

"No, it's okay young one. This place is quite hectic, I can see how you would bump into someone." Tsuna stared at the man, it felt like he had met him before. "Is there something on my face?" His voice had snapped Tsuna out of his thoughts, and he blushed in embarrassment.

"Tsuna! I got more books for us! We need to buy them now before the line gets to long!" Hana had appeared from behind Tsuna, and there were even more books in her basket. She then noticed the man, and narrowed her eyes. "I'm sorry, but if you want his books, it's not going to happen." Once again, he laughed.

"No, no. We just had a slight run in." Hana's eyes turned into slits, and she took Tsuna's wrist and walked to the line without another word.

Kawahira couldn't help but feel amusement. He had seen the boy years ago, when he had bumped into the boy at the noodle shop. Kawahira never forgot a face, and the boy hadn't changed much.

…_._

"Hana? How did you have the money to buy all those books?" Both kids had their hands full with bags filled with books.

"My family's well off, and I'm an only child so they try to spoil me." Hana was leading them down an alleyway, claiming it was the fastest way to get to the cafe.

"Um, Hana? Why did you act like that?" Hana's face, which was obscured by the bags, darkened.

"If you're referring to the bookstore, then I acted like a monkey because I had to. Two years ago, I went to the sale by myself. I acted as I normally would, sophisticated. That was not a smart idea. The monkeys will trample on the polite, and I speak from experience. I knew that from now on, I would have to convert myself into a... monkey, but only during the sale. It was quite horrible that first year. You've seen the scar on my arm, right? I got that from my first sale."

Hana was talking about the long scar on her arm that looked like a battle scar. It honestly looked as if she had fought in a war. In a way, she had been in one- a half-off sale. Tsuna had been about to respond, but a deep voice stopped him.

"Hmmm... That's a lot of books, right? You'd have to be quite rich to buy them all. Maybe... you have some money left, yes?" A teenager with a lot of piercings was flanked by four others. All of them tried to make themselves look threatening, but Hana only poked her head out from the pile and sent them and unimpressed look.

"Monkeys, I'm going to give you five seconds to get out of my way or else." Her voice was filled with confidence, while her companion was shaking like a leaf.

"Oh, little missy is tough. We'll be sure to take care of that." The five teens took out metal pipes, but the leader pulled out a gun, and suddenly the situation seemed a lot more grave. Tsuna dropped his pile of books in fear.

"M-monkeys! Bother someone else!" Hana started to sweat in apprehension, and Tsuna was practically hyperventilating.

"No can do, little missy. Now, just give us the money and no one gets hurt." Hana paled, but held her ground.

The boy with the biggest pipe lunged at Hana, and started to swing at Hana. Time froze, and the whole world went gray. Only Tsuna remained unaffected. The wool mittens his mother had supposedly given him appeared on his hands, much to his confusion.

_**'This is disgusting. Absolutely **__**disgusting.**__** They're going to attack her, Tsuna. They're going to attack your best friend, and only you can stop it. **_

_'__B-but, I'm Dame-Tsuna! I can't save her!' I'm...I'm too weak...'_

**_'__You can't let your best friend get hurt. You must protect her.'_**

_** 'To protect others, you must be able to protect yourself first!' **_Tsuna jolted at the now familiar voice.

'_I have no one to protect besides my mom and perhaps Hana!"_

_ '**Then protect them. Protect them with your dying will.'**_

__Tsuna closed his eyes. _**'**__I- I want to protect her! I don't care if I hurt myself __in process! I'LL PROTECT HER! _

**_ 'Good luck, Protettore.__'_** The voice disappeared for good. Tsuna's head was pounding fiercely, and a warmth enveloped him. Orange flames made a wreath around his forehead and hair. His eyes snapped open- they were a beautiful orange. His mittens had transformed into gloves, with an orange stone on both gloves. The stones had the same squiggly writing as his necklace, which was glowing more than it ever had. Suddenly, the world regained color and time continued, as if nothing had ever happened.

The boy with the largest metal pipe had seemed fast before, but now, it was like he move quite slowly. Tsuna jumped between Hana and the hoodlum, and when the pipe came down, Tsuna caught it with his gloves.

"I won't allow you to hurt her. You'll have to go through me first." The five teens merely looked unimpressed.

"Don't get cocky like the girl. Are you the one that has the money?" Another boy picked up Hana by the neck, and raised the metal pipe to her head. She struggled and pounded on his arm, but he payed no attention to her.

"Give us all your money, or we won't hesitate to hurt the bitch." Tsuna had never felt so angry before in his life. He breathed in, and exhaled. His flame wreath flared, and all he could see was red. He stalked forward, and put all his strength into a single punch that slammed into the boy holding Hana. Instantly, he was on the ground, and Hana was dropped. The leader was enraged, and pointed his gun at Tsuna. However, the brunette simply kept on walking forward, ready to strike another one down.

"T-this will teach you not to hit one of my guys!" But the teen's hand was shaking. He probably had never even handled a gun before, and wasn't used to the situation going this far. Most people just gave them the money and ran. Tsuna raised an eyebrow, and pulled back his hand to punch the nearest teen, but something stopped him.

"That is enough, herbivores. I will bite all of you to death for disturbing the peace." Hibari- who had appeared out of nowhere- walked toward them like they were his prey. In fact, he was patrolling, when he felt a sudden blast carnivorous intent. He immediately knew who it was, and his excitement showed on his face.

The teens paled- who wouldn't? The kid coming at them was the infamous Hibari Kyoya, who was starting to make a name for himself with all the fights he was instigating- and winning.

"We-we weren't doing anything! Please don't hur-" A tonfa struck down on the leader's head, and in six seconds, all the thugs were unconscious.

"Herbivore, you have finally shown your carnivore side." Hibari had a small feral smile on his face. "Now, allow me to bite you to death properly." Tsuna's wreath of flames disappeared, and his eyes turned back into brown.

"HIIEEE! Please don't bite me to death! Besides, Hana's the most important right now!" Tsuna, completely reverted back to his old self rushed over to his best friend.

"Hana, please tell me you're okay. I don't know what I would've done if my best friend had gotten killed!" Tears started rolling down Tsuna's face. Hana couldn't help but smile softly at the boy's use of 'best friend'. In the short amount of weeks they had know each other, Hana had started to consider the boy her best friend too.

"Silly Tsuna, those dumb monkeys wouldn't be able to kill me even if the tried. So stop crying, you look weird." Tsuna rubbled his eyes and giggled.

"Sorry, Hana." Hibari stared at the two kids having their bonding moment, and spoke.

"I'll bite you to death next time." Tsuna just smiled.

"Thanks for helping us, Hibari-san. You really saved me from hurting more people... and you were a great help.." Tsuna trailed off. Hibari continued to stare at the two, and Tsuna had such an earnest look on his face, and Hana eyes shined with gratefulness. This made Hibari a tiny bit happy. "Would you like to join to join us for lunch at school sometime?" Tsuna blurted out. Hibari was usually on the roof when they ate, and Tsuna couldn't help but get the feeling that the prefect got lonely. He was only a kid, after all.

"...Hn." Both Tsuna and Hana took that as a yes.

….

Just moments after Kawahira bought his books, he felt a strong pulse of energy. Running out of the store, he ran to where the source was. Kawahira came to a wide alleyway, and kept on going.

_'This must be the Proteggere stone! It must be, very few things are this powerful!'_

The scene he came to was very unpleasant, unfortunately. Some wannabe thugs were harassing two young kids. Kawahira saw that one of them was the boy he bumped into earlier. He hid himself in the shadows. Then, a boy with a large metal pipe jumped at the girl. Kawahira almost intervened when the boy slid in front of the girl.

Kawahira's eyes widened. A circle of flames were dancing around on his head.

_'Corona di Fiamme! The wreath of flames, something only the Protettore can possess! A young boy, the protecter of Vongola? And to think, he has sky flames... The last Protettore to have sky flames was the first and most powerful one. Amazing...I must train this boy at once.'_

The Protector slammed his fist into the boy's face, and made him crumple to the ground. Then, boy around the same ages as the Protector came and knocked out the rest.

_'That odd boy is quite strong...I wonder if I can use him as part of training?' _Kawahira examined the boy who had taken care of the rest. He watched as the Protector checked on the girl, and started crying. So this is who he was trying to save. The duo asked the black haired boy if he wanted to eat lunch with them, and the boy merely grunted. As the boy with tonfas walked away, Kawahira saw a tiny smile on his face.

_'Good, a bond is being established without any interference.' _Kawahira could almost jump for joy, things were finally starting to fall into place.

"Tsuna, help me pick up the books. I hope they aren't too dirty." The girl said to Tsuna.

_ 'So Tsuna's his name. Tsuna, I hope you're ready for your life to become crazier.'_

…_._

Oh. I finished. AND WITH TIME TO SPARE! YAY! Okay, time for the actually author note

**PLEASE READ**

Yeah... I read all of your lovely reviews... and some very good questions. Yes, how did Hiro become a Decimo candidate? Or is he even a candidate in the first place? Who the heck is Hiro? Okay, I already know the answers to these questions, so I dunno why I'm asking. Also, I thought hard about your reviews on the whole romance thing. And then I realized something.

I can't write romance to save my life, dammit. I would have to get better at that crap before I could incorporate that into a story, sorry! To all of you lovelies who requested something, I might try and do a 'hint hint'. Nothing major though! Like, in a way where it can be interpreted as friendship, or maybe something a bit more! But, uh oh! I think I see a three way friendship forming between Hibari, Hana, and Tsuna! They would truly be the Terrible Trio... Anyways! Kyoko and Hana really aren't best friends because of the whole different grade thing, but Kyoko likes coming to Hana for advice.

And, how do you think Kawahira is going to train Tsuna? Cause it's gonna be intense! I hope. Finally, we must talk about Hana. And her extreme OOCness in like a huge chunk of the chapter. But is it really a stretch, considering Hana's a book lover? Okay, okay, I'm rambling now. Please review, it makes me smile like a total goofball. Bye, See you next week!


	4. Shield of the Tri-ni-set

Hey, it's time for an update! GUESS WHAT!? THIS STORY HIT 100 FOLLOWS! YOU GUYS ARE THE ABOSULUTE BEST AND I LOVE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! No, but really. I never thought I would be able to get so many follows in like, three chapters. I'm honestly shocked. Hey, explanations will be coming in this chapter, sorry if the chap starts out slowly. Time to start the chapter, so enjoyyyy! Read the author's note at the end, it has to do with updates.

….

As Hibari walked away, Tsuna felt an odd presence in the alleyway. He could practically feel the power rolling off it. But it quickly disappeared, and left Tsuna even more confused then before.

….

Deciding not to let the thugs ruin their day, Hana and Tsuna went to the cafe. Inside, it was warm and cozy, and the aroma was sweet. The duo sat down and took off their coats. Hana tapped her finger on the table, and didn't bother to beat around the bush.

"Tsuna, are you going to tell me about those flames in your hair?" Tsuna slowly blinked, trying to process how quick Hana had been about confronting him. He had been hoping for maybe a day or two, but with Hana, it was a matter of minutes.

"Er... I can't really explain what I don't know the answer to. I mean, they were trying to hurt you, a-and... I couldn't let them do that to you..." Tsuna trailed off, and averted his eyes from hers. Hana's finger tapping got louder and louder. She kept on staring at Tsuna, and there was a slight twitch in her eye.

"Oh, Tsuna... Thanks for saving me. You looked pretty brave back then, you know? I thought maybe, just maybe, you had grown a permanent backbone. Not that fleeting one that seems to appear every once in awhile. I'll drop this matter for now, but on Monday, please don't expect any mercy." Hana waited for the brunet to agree.

"Hana," he started in a small voice, "Do you ever... hear a voice in your head? One that sounds like you? And does it ever urge you to do something?" Tsuna let out a shuddering breath, and hoped his friend wouldn't be too weirded out. Hana knew that something was troubling him, and sighed.

"My mom always says that everyone has a conscience in their heads, telling them right from wrong. She thinks that their conscience is the voice trying to form you into the person you want to be. It's a stupid theory, but she always had a firm belief in it. So this voice is just who you want to be. Nothing to be alarmed about." Hana crossed her arms. Tsuna, who had been staring down at his lap looked up at his friend, and his lips curved upwards. He was happy that Hana had tried to convince him he wasn't crazy.

"Hana, slow down! First, you declare me your best friend, then you try and console me! This friendship is going way too fast! We've only been friends for a couple of weeks! I think I need a breather..." Tsuna dramatically fanned his face, and Hana wanted to smack him upside the head.

"What are you talking about, idiot monkey!? You're the one who unnecessarily declared me his best friend! And excuse me if I try and help you with your issues!" Hana huffed and looked away.

"Our first argument already? Please slow down, I don't think I can take this any longer." Tsuna now had a goofy smile on his face, and any sign of tenseness he had before had vanished. Hana fought not to grin- she had never seen Tsuna joking around before. He had never seemed like a jokester to her.

"Monkey, I advise you stop this right now, or you'll be paying for both our meals!" But there was no bite in her tone, and a small giggle slipped out of her mouth. For now, she wouldn't care about the fact that her friend had fire on his head, and effortlessly knocked out someone twice his size. All that mattered at that single moment was the fact that she was having fun.

….

When Tsuna got home, his mother was waiting on the couch for him.

"So, Tsu-kun, how was your day?" She practically sang.

"It was a lot of fun, and I got a lot of books to read."

"How did you pay for these books, hmm?" Nana's eyes narrowed.

"Um... With my savings?" Tsuna could feel himself shrinking under his mother's glare.

"You need to find a new way to get money, Tsuna! You can't always rely on your allowance, you know!" His mom wagged her finger at Tsuna. "I'm going to have to find you a job or something!" Nana jokingly. "Now go off to your room and read your books." She said, shooing Tsuna off.

The next morning, Nana woke up bright and early. She got dressed and headed downstairs. On the wooden table, was a flyer that wasn't there before. Curious, Nana picked it up.

_ Checkered Antique Store_

_The Best Antique Place in Namimori!_

_Now Looking for Part-Time!_

_The pay is very good, and so are the hours!_

_Very convenient for young boys that need to learn responsibility!_

_To Get the Job Call: 555-555_

_Address: Aifam Ave. _

Nana gasped. This was perfect for her son! Picking up the house phone, she called the number.

"Checkered Antique Store! Manager speaking, how may I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Sawada Nana, and I think my son would be great for your open position!"

"Really, now? He's hired! Now, may I ask what his name is?"

Nana pumped her fist in the air, "Tsunayoshi."

"Great! The hours are Monday through Saturday, and his hours are 4 to 8 pm! Please have him show up to the shop at 3pm on Monday." Nana was a bit befuddled to how her son got the job so easily, but she wasn't going to complain.

"Thank you so much!" Nana hoped that getting a job would shape her son into a more responsible boy. Maybe even a man, like his father!

….

"So, that's why I got you a part-time job!" Nana clasped her hands together. The two were sitting at the table eating breakfast. Tsuna's jaw dropped, and he shrieked.

"What! How on earth- why on earth- mom- What?" Tsuna was barely coherent. He didn't want to get a job! He wasn't even a teenager yet!

"I'm glad you asked! Well, there was a flyer on the table, and I probably forgot I put it there! I did it because I wanted you to learn how to be a responsible, hard working boy! Also, it's always nice to have a little extra money... They said that you start on Monday, at three." Nana's tone left no room for discussion.

"...Okay, but if I get fired, please don't make me get a new job!" Nana seemed to consider it.

"If you keep the job for more than three weeks, then you won't have to get a new job. Deal?"

"I can't believe this, but...deal." The two shook hands, and Nana triumphantly started to eat her omelet.

….

"And that's why I won't be able to hang out after school for awhile." Tsuna and Hana were on the roof eating lunch and talking to each other. Somewhat near Tsuna was Hibari, who was napping.

"A job, Tsuna? Wow, most people don't get a job until their late teens. I'm slightly impressed." Hana took a bite from her lunch. "Hibari, would you like something to eat?" Hibari grunted, apparently awake. "Fine, I guess if you don't want any..."

Tsuna opened his own lunch, and was happily surprised to what was in there.

"Great, Mom packed me a hamburger stea-" Hibari promptly stood up, walked over to Tsuna, and took his lunch. The brunet stared up at the prefect in disbelief.

"Hibari-san, by any chance, would you like hamburger steak?" Hibari grunted again, and started eating.

"Herbivore, I will expect you to bring more of this at least once a week." Hana and Tsuna glanced at each other. Who knew Hibari actually had a favorite food?

….

Tsuna was completely and utterly annoyed. After school, he headed over to the quieter part of town, near the noodle shop. According to his mother, there was no exact address for the store, only a street name. That he had never heard of. Did this place even exist? Sighing in frustration, Tsuna looked at his watch.

2:56 If he wasn't punctual, he could get fired on the first day.

2:57. Oh god, if he got fired before he even started, his mom would make that face. The face that could make Tsuna feel so guilty it would be unbearable.

2:58. But it wasn't his fault, was it? They could have at least given an actual address...

2:59. His mother had never liked excuses. She would just tell him to stop making excuses.

3:00. He had dishonored his mother, and himself. He was so ashamed, and now his mother would make the face. Wait, who was that man beckoning to him? Tsuna recognized him as the man he had bumped into at the bookstore.

"Hello, Tsunayoshi! Fine day to be out." Kawahira said. Tsuna started to back away, but Kawahira grabbed onto his arm. "No need to be backing away. We'll be going now!" Tsuna could feel dread going through him. Was he being kidnapped? Fortunately, all Kawahira did was drag him over to the noodle shop. "Sit down, young Tsunayoshi. No need to be afraid. Do you want to order anything?"

"H-how do you know my name?" Tsuna felt very scared around this person.

"No noodles for you then, I guess. Wait right here while I order. I wouldn't recommend running off if I were you." Kawahira went to the counter to order, and Tsuna was glued to his seat out of fear. Minutes later, Kawahira returned with his food.

"Why did you call me here?" Tsuna wasted no time in asking. All cheeriness in Kawahira disappeared as if it were never there. A sharp look appeared in his eye.

"Tsunayoshi, I would like you to know there is no store, and no part-time job."

Tsuna opened his mouth to reply, but Kawahira went on. "I placed a flyer in your house, advertising a fake job to get you over here." 

"W-why?" Tsuna stuttered. A small smirk appeared on Kawahira's face.

"To train you to be the Protettore, of course." Confusion spread over Tsuna's face. "Time for you to listen, Tsunayoshi. Have you ever heard of the mafia?"

Tsuna paled, but nodded slightly. "Well, the Protettore, or Protecter, has a very large role in the mafia." Tsuna almost shrieked, but Kawahira cut him off. "In the mafia, there is a thing called the Tri-ni-set. It is made out of three sets of rings. The Arcobaleno pacifiers, the Vongola rings, and the Mare rings. There are seven rings of each group, and this makes up the 7(3) policy. Each ring holds amazing powerful, and every generation, a new group comes along and possesses these rings." Kawahira took a breath and analyzed the brunet's reaction. The boy was gaping like a fish, with his mouth opening and closing. Kawahira fought the urge to chuckle.

"Now, these people are very powerful, but sometimes, their power fails them. Just maybe, they might show a moment of weakness, and that's all it takes for them to be taken down. They need to protected at these times of weakness. Also, the Tri-ni-set in drawings are usually made in a triangle. But in some paintings, there is an orange stone in the middle. That's where the Proteggere stone comes in. In ancient times, there was said to be a beautiful stone made by God. All the people worshipped it, believing it would be their savior in their darkest times. Unfortunately, when the people needed it most, it vanished. Many years later, it was said to of resurfaced into the mafia. Are you still following me, Tsunayoshi?" Tsuna seemed to only be capable of nodding.

"Good. The stone was said to of come into contact with a young man, and the stone's power flowed within in the veins him. The stone, know as the Proteggere, gave him a mission. Protect and aid the Tri-ni-set with their lives. At the time, the Tri-ni-set was only just starting to be controlled by humans, and as we both know, humans are not invincible. So the young man soon became the Protettore, and was known as the Shield of the Tri-ni-set. But that's all according to legend in the mafia world. After the first Protettore died, the stone found it's new owner, and so on. Who ever owns the stone is aided by a wreath of flames, or the Corona di Fiamme. With these flames, they had power comparable to the 21 powerful rings. And now, the Proteggere stone has found it's tenth owner," Kawahira's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"M-me?" Tsuna couldn't comprehend the thought of him, Dame-Tsuna, being responsible for protecting freakishly powerful people. Kawahira nodded.

"Years ago, we collided in this very store. I was at the time holding the stone and looking for potential owners when I bumped into you. Foolishly, I didn't notice that the stone had fallen out of my pocket until I was on a plane. And I'm assuming that you picked up the stone, which accepted you as it's owner recently. And it is my duty to train you, so please be prepared. But you seem to need time to let all this information go through you, so this is it for today. Please be ready for tomorrow, at 4 pm. I will be waiting at this noodle shop. Don't be late." Kawahira stood up, and walked out of the store. His noodles were unfinished, and still hot.

Tsuna's eyes were glassy, not looking at anything. How could he be someone so important? It would be another twenty minutes before Tsuna bothered to get up and go home.

….

Done! Done! Doneeeeeeee! Did anyone catch a small Avatar: The Last Airbender reference in this chapter? I love that series! Hey, was the site acting weird for anyone else yesterday? I needed to update the story summary, and whenever I clicked on my Pen name, I got an error message. I was like "is this rly happening right now?" Damn, that last section was LONG! Dialouge, dialouge, and more dialouge! annnyywayss

NEW STORY SUMMARY: The Proteggere Stone. A stone that was said to be made God himself, was worshiped in ancient times. One day, it vanished, and many years later, it was said to of resurfaced into the Mafia. It is merely a myth, but the stone was hailed to be the Shield of the Tr-ni-set, protecter of the set. Whoever owned the stone would become the Protettore, or Protecter of the Set. Aided by the Wreath of Flames, it is the duty of the Protettore to aid and protect the Tr-ni-set with their lives. So what happens when Tsuna finds a mysterious orange stone?

HEY YOU! READER! THIS IS AN IMPORTANT NOTE CONSIDERING UPDATES!

Yo, I feel kinda bad about my update times. I only update once a week, and it would be okay if each chap were about 5,000 words, but they aren't. Sooo, I'm asking you, the readers, how should I update?

Twice a week: Sunday/Saturday and Wednesday(?) Chapters around this length.

Once a week: Sunday- chapters around 4,000 to 5,000 words.

These are really the only options I'll consider, but I would love to hear your opinions, and I'll make an announcement about it next week. Okay, so that's it for now! Please review, it makes me want to continue this story! Thanks for reading, see ya later!


	5. Rage

Heyo, guys. I hope you are doing well today. Thanks for all the lovely reviews, they were awesome. I'm very tired at the moment even though it's nowhere near the time I usually go to bed, so yeah goodnigh-

….

It all seemed like a dream to Tsuna. His whole life, he had been a nobody, he was Dame-Tsuna. But now, Kawahira had torn down his life as he knew it. Apparently, he was supposed to protect super powerful beings with his life. How could he do that when he was only Dame-Tsuna? When he finally bothered to get up and go outside, he was in a daze. All of it was very hard to believe. Was Kawahira pulling his leg? Should he just not go tomorrow? But something in Kawahira's eyes told Tsuna that if he didn't go, it could cost him dearly.

Tsuna kicked a pebble- this was too ridiculous. This seemed like a plot out of a manga that Hana would despise. His thoughts were less than pleasant, but he was excited for tomorrow.

Deciding to avoid his home in fear of his mother shooting tons of questions at him, he headed for the park. Winter was finally coming to a close, but today had been much colder than expected. Because of this, there were very little people in the park. Tsuna shivered, and his cheeks were a rosy red color. He scanned the park, looking for somewhere to sit. Spotting the swings, Tsuna walked over, but paused at a loud voice.

"Hey, stop it! She's mine! Give her back!" Over by the slide were some more kids. One of them was holding what looked like a small plush elephant. The smallest of the kids was a boy with blonde hair and streak of brown. He was scowling and was the one shouting. From what Tsuna could tell, some kids with a mean streak had taken a stuffed toy from the boy.

"You're hopeless, you know," The biggest smirked down at the smallest, "How come a fifth grader is still playing with a stuffed animal? Oh wait, I know! Because you have no friends of your own, and you need to have someone to talk to!" His cronies cracked up. This reminded Tsuna of his own bullies, taking away his stuff. At this point, Tsuna would get upset and pity himself, but the smallest got angrier.

"Hey! I said give it back now! Nobody said you can play with it, so get your dirty paws off!" He swiped for his toy again, his frustration showing. The bullies just laughed, not taking him seriously. The victim was about to make a grab for it again, but then his eyes landed on Tsuna, who was in the background.

"Are you going to help me, or what!" Tsuna jerked back in surprise. The boy was talking to him? Tsuna's eyes met with his, and Tsuna let out a tiny gasp. Blazing bronze eyes stared him down, questioning him. _'Help me, or are you one of them?' _Tsuna immediately got the message, and clenched his fists. How could he be considered a bully- he being a victim himself? Tsuna felt a rush a shame go through him, he just watched as a boy went through something awful. Something he could relate to himself. He had to help the boy, he just knew it.

Tsuna's necklace seemed to hum in agreement. Stalking forward, he made his way to the others. His legs were on autopilot, and on the inside he was panicking. What the hell could he do to help?

_'Protect him. It is your duty.' _The stone seemed to convey a message to him. And just like that, Tsuna understood what he had to do. Reaching the group, Tsuna spoke, trying not to let his voice quaver.

"And just what exactly do you think your doing?" Tsuna was weirded out, he would never say something like that. The boys stared at Tsuna in annoyance.

"Who do you think you are, dummy? If you don't back off we'll beat up you and shorty! This doesn't matter to you!" One of the boys shouted, and some spittle hit Tsuna's face. Wiping it off, Tsuna glared.

"I think it involves me when you bully someone who doesn't deserve it, wouldn't you agree?" Tsuna didn't realize, but a very dark look had taken over his face. The victim said nothing, taking the backseat for now. Swallowing, the boy with the elephant put on his meanest expression.

"Eh, I don't think you should be here, loser. Aren't you Dame-Tsuna? You could be in the exact situation as this idiot here. So if you don't back off we'll beat up you and shorty!" Normally, Tsuna would have blushed and cowered, but Tsuna was no longer there. In his place stood a boy capable of scaring off the worst of bullies with his glare. Tsuna's eyes darkened, and he wasn't completely there anymore. Anger was the only thing in his conscience, and he smirked.

"I don't see a Dame-Tsuna, but I think there's a person who needs you to stop before someone gets hurt." Tsuna's smirked widened hugely and he shoved his hands in his pockets. His narrowed eyes looked downright terrifying, a cold brown swirling with orange. The air got very stuffy, and the bullies found it hard to breathe. Anyone who could see knew that Tsuna meant business. Nearly wetting his pants, the boy dropped the elephant and made a break for it. His abandoned friends screamed and all bolted into different directions. And just like that, the threatening atmosphere disappeared, and Tsuna was back to normal.

"That was amazing! At first I thought you were a bully or something, but then you scared the crap out them! Wow, how do you do that?" The victim had picked up his toy and was now jumping up and down in excitement. Tsuna blinked out bemusement. What had just happened? His mind had gone completely blank, and the bullies were nowhere in sight. Tsuna looked at the small ball of energy, who was still shouting.

"Wow wow wow! I thought-I really thought you were going to beat them up! I mean, I was totally willing to pound their faces in, but yeah!" Tsuna tilted his head. He was about to hurt somebody? "Oh, by the way! My name is Nanase Hiro, thank you so much for saving Ellie!" Hiro. That name sounded slightly familiar... Tsuna uncertainly smiled.

"Well Nanase-san, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna. I'm very glad you and Ellie are okay, but I really must be going now." Tsuna all but ran away, mumbling a hurried goodbye at the young boy. A delighted "Bye for now!" was heard behind him. After getting a decent distance away from Hiro, Tsuna took a shaky breath. What the hell happened back there?

….

"Tsuna, you've left me in the dark about your first day! Tell me, I'm your darling mother." Nana's fingers impatiently tapped on the wooden dinner table. Up until now, Tsuna had managed to give vague answers to his mother. He couldn't just say that a weird man told him he was to protect a bunch of people, and that he's very important.

"Well, Kawahira-san is nice. He gave me basic instructions on how to stack boxes..." Tsuna inwardly winced. Instructions on how to stack boxes? How stupid could he be? Nana clapped happily, completely buying the lie.

"Oh Tsuna, now you can be even stronger! I can't wait, you'll be just like your father..."Nana trailed off dreamily. Tsuna discretely shuddered. He would do anything if it meant not being like his father.

….

_Meanwhile_

Taking long strides, a man walked through a beautiful mansion. But it was not the time to be admiring the interior, for grave news had been delivered to headquarters just that morning. Getting to an intricately carved door, the man knocked on the door. A small, but firm come in was heard from the inside. The man opened the door and walked in.

"Nono, I heard the news. I'm so sorry. Massimo was such a kind young man." Nono, a man getting up in his years, rubbed his temples.

"I just don't understand. Another wonderful son, taken by the harsh hands of the mafia. I fear that someone is actually targeting my children in hopes of making the Vongola collapse. I told Federico to stay alert at all times, but that arrogant boy thinks he's invincible..." Nono adjusted his tie, trying to conceal his emotions. He was a mafia boss, after all.

"Nono, not to be pessimistic, but what will happen if Federico...?" Nono nearly sighed.

"I do not know, unfortunately. Xanxus is still frozen, and even if I were to unfreeze him, he wouldn't be eligible for the position, for certain reasons. Say, how is your son doing?" There was a tiny spark in Nono's eyes that made his companion's feel uneasy.

"Tsuna? He's adorable as usual, probably. But Nono, even though my son is you know... that... doesn't mean you can plot to make him something he's not." Iemitsu fought the urge to slam his hand onto Nono's desk.

"Whatever are you talking about, Iemitsu?" Nono decided to play it innocent, and whistled.

"I'm serious. Even though my son is adorable, he is weak, clumsy, and has no leadership skills. If you even dare consider him to become Vongola Decimo, I will not hesitate to order the CEDEF to declare war on Vongola." The atmosphere around Iemitsu turned hostile.

"Ah, there is no need for that Iemitsu. Now now, let's talk about lighter matters. Heaven knows I need something casual in my life. So, how is your sister doing?"

….

The next day, Hana and Tsuna found themselves following Hibari to an unknown destination at lunch time.

"Hibari, what are we doing? I'm pretty sure we aren't supposed to leave school grounds during lunch." Hana pulled her coat closer to her body.

"Herbivores, you did not need to come. You are needlessly crowding." Hibari was ahead of the other two, his eyes set in front of him.

"No, we didn't, but it is our duty as your semi-friends to stay by you whenever your doing something stupid. And I'm pretty sure leaving school grounds during school is classifies as stupid." Hibari tried to ignore the use of the word friend, even though it gave him a nice feeling in his chest.

"I am showing the students of Namimori who is the main carnivore, and it needs to be done soon." Determination was radiating off Hibari.

"Hibari-san, how do you plan on er... doing that?" Tsuna spoke up. Hibari said nothing, and abruptly stopped. They had arrived at their destination, Namimori Middle School.

"Oh, I get it. We're graduating elementary school soon. And I'm guessing you want to establish your dominance in school earlier. Hmm...interesting Hibari." Hana picked up on what they were doing.

"What? We came here so Hibari-san could beat people up?" Hana almost laughed at the comical look on Tsuna's face.

"Ah, Hibari, before we go in we should make a plan. We don't want to get caught." Hibari grunted- he was listening. Hana had a devious smile on her face. Tsuna gulped, this would not be pretty.

Commence Operation Establish Dominance on Middle School Students

Tsuna was shaking; why were his friends so crazy? Within two minutes, Hana had devised a plan that was foolproof. Hibari would bust the door open, and he and Hana would separate. Hibari took on the west wing, and Hana the east wing. They would establish their dominance (whatever that meant) before lunch break was over. Tsuna was assigned the simple task of guarding the gate, "In case a monkey tries to escape." Tsuna had no idea if Hana knew how to fight, but when he asked, the girl had winked. He hadn't stopped shaking since. Since he was useless at the gate, all he could do was hope his friends would be safe.

Hibari calmly walked down the corridor. It was finally time to show who was boss. Because it was lunch time at the middle school too, some students loitered in the hallway. They didn't matter, all he was looking for was the top dog.

"Hey, kid, I haven't seen you here before. You new or something?" A random boy had the nerve to talk to him. A simple jab to the stomach took him down instantly. The students who saw that look dumbfounded; how could he take out the kendo captain?

"Herbivores, where can I find Hiruma Riku? Answer or I'll bite you to death."

One girl stuttered out, "I-I think h-he's o-on the r-r-roof... but you shouldn't bother him! He'll hurt you!" Hibari snarled at the girl, she didn't know how strong he really was. Hibari set off for the roof- it was time to take down a herbivore.

…_._

"Answer the damn question! Where the hell is Hiruma?" The two second years shrieked in fear- a random sixth grader had come out of nowhere and practically assaulted them. Hana had a look on her face that could scare the devil. She slowly stepped towards the boys and cracked her knuckles threateningly. The second years threw their arms around each other- this was it. They were goners.

"Okay! Okay! Hiruma-senpai is on the roof, that's where he always spends lunch! Please don't hurt us." The boy said in a rush. A sweet smile appeared on Hana's face.

"Why thank you monkeys." She was really starting to get into this man-hunt. "Now, would you be nice enough to tell me where the roof is?"

….

Tsuna could hear loud yells of terror from the building, but that wasn't what scared him. What did scare him was the fact that he had no idea who caused the yells- Hibari or Hana.

….

Hibari threw the door to the roof open; this was it. The king herbivore was waiting for him. There he was, lazing on the roof, without a care in the world. He would shatter that carefree world with all his might.

"Hiruma Riku, prepare to be bitten to death." Hiruma's eyes snapped open.

"Who the hell are you? You're annoying. Go away before I beat the crap out of you." The track star closed his eyes again, he probably thought that would scare the skylark off. Hibari walked over to him and stepped on Hiruma's stomach. The boy coughed and spluttered, and shouted in anger,

"What the hell is wrong with you! You asked for this, damn brat!" Hiruma attempted to punch Hibari, but his fist met the air. Hibari was disappointed; he thought the herbivore would be a tiny bit better. The skylark appeared behind Hiruma, and hit his back with a tonfa. Hiruma screamed in pain.

"YOU BRAT! I'M REALLY GONNA TO KILL YOU NOW!" He roared. His cheeks flushed with pure anger.

"Monkey, I'm afraid that killing isn't allowed." The door flew open again, and there stood Hana, with her terrifying look still in place. Hiruma paled- was she a demon? Hibari took the moment of distraction and knocked the herbivore down. Hiruma screamed, he wasn't ready to die yet! Yet, Hana and Hibari advanced towards him predatorily. In one last desperate attempt, the track star got up and did what he does the best- he ran. Out of the roof door and down the stairs, Hiruma screamed bloody murder.

Hana and Hibari didn't pause- he was a coward about to be dethroned. Nothing could stop them now. The duo ran after him, their killer intent overwhelming.

Down the corridors, everyone could see the scariest guy in school running away like a madman. Moments later, two damn scary kids running after him. Naturally curious, anyone who saw the comical scene ran after them. Hiruma was in a state of utter panic. Two demons were chasing after him with the intent of murder, he was sure of it! Hiruma saw the front doors to the school, freedom! If he could just get past the gate, his house was just a minute away! He was going to be safe!

….

Tsuna was starting to get bored. He had gotten used to the screams, and now he just wanted to get back to school. Lunch break was long over by now. Suddenly, there was a loud noise near the front doors. A tall boy with spiky hair was running towards him like his life depended on it. Tears were coming out of his eyes, and he appeared to be in pain.

"What is he doi-" Boom! The doors busted open again, this time it was Hibari and Hana. Both looked far scarier than Tsuna had even seen them before. Hana had a slightly insane look in her eyes, and Hibari was tightly gripping his tonfas. It was by far the worst thing Tsuna had ever seen in his life, and it scared the crap out of him.

"HIEEEEEEEEE!" Tsuna shrieked loudly, and Hiruma, who was now less than three feet away from him, paused and covered his ears. More than half of the student body, who were outside also covered their ears. Hana and Hibari ignored the horrible sound and kept running towards Tsuna and Hiruma. Tsuna, in his blind panic, swung his leg at Hiruma, who was still holding his ears. Tsuna's leg hit Hiruma right between the legs, and the track star collapsed with a groan.

Hibari and Hana reached Tsuna at that moment, and Hana patted Tsuna on the back.

"Tsuna, we did it! We took down the king!" Hibari but his foot on Hiruma's back- who was still moaning- and smirked.

The student body, who saw the track star get taken down, stared in shock. The whole thing looked rather crazy to them. Three sixth graders beat the strongest guy in school effortlessly. Hana had her arms crossed, her triumphant smile prominent. Hibari had his shoe on Hiruma's back, and declared him bitten to death. And the guy who had actually taken down Hiruma was shaking like he had seen the devil.

Today would be remembered as the day three new rulers came into the throne of Namimori Middle School. For the remainder of the school year, they were referred to as... The Terrible Trio.

….

Somehow, the trio had managed to get off with only a warning, but that may have been because of Hibari. Nobody in the elementary had bothered to ask what they were doing, partly because nobody in the trio was very popular. And that was the understatement of the year. Hibari was known for biting people to death. Hana had a sharp tongue that few people could deal with. And Tsuna was just a complete loser. So there was slight surprise when they came back to the school, banded together and looking like they were warriors. Speculation went through the school about what they did off school grounds, and why all of a sudden they seemed like the best of friends.

Tsuna and Hana were chatting like they usually did, but every now and then Hibari would put in a tiny bit of input. They were chatting like old friends, even! And only the trio knew that bringing down the king of a middle school can bring people closer together.

….

Fearing for his life, Tsuna was ten minutes early to the noodle shop. He was hoping that Kawahira would be late, giving Tsuna time to prepare himself, but to no avail. Kawahira had been twenty minutes early.

"Being punctual is one of the keys to happiness, Tsunayoshi." Is what Kawahira said when Tsuna spotted him, but Tsuna seriously doubted it.

"Did anything interesting happen since our last meeting?" Kawahira inquired. He had sensed a strange burst of energy not even two hours after the meeting. Tsuna paled, and that was all the confirmation he needed. "Would you like to tell me about it?" Could be translated to "Tell me or else I will make your life a living hell."

"Well, there was this kid...being bullied...so I defended him?" Tsuna seemed uncertain about what he was saying. Kawahira pushed through.

"And..." He prodded.

"And...my stone told me to save him. I tried to stand up to them, but then they threatened to beat up the kid. And then..." Tsuna's eyes became hollow, "I was consumed with anger. I wanted to protect that kid no matter what. My mind went blank, my vision was red, and I can't remember what happened after that. But when my mind came back, the bullies were gone. They were gone... and that boy was thanking me. He said I scared them off. I wonder how I did that?" Tsuna's eerily empty eyes were staring at Kawahira. The white hair man contemplated on if he should tell him what had really happened.

"Tsunayoshi, I need to tell you something important. Whenever a sky from the Tri-ni-set is in danger, or you feel they are in danger, the stone makes you enter a mode. This mode is called Rage, and is probably one of the most deadly things in the mafia. Whenever a sky is in danger, the Protettore loses control of themselves and will do anything to protect them. Wars have been started and ended because of Rage. Because you aren't trained, you couldn't do anything too bad, but I fear to think what would've happened if you were trained. Tsunayoshi, this is something very dangerous, and if you ever think you may enter it, I need you to fight the urge." Tsuna's eyes regained their life, but they were still dull.

"I...but that boy wasn't part of the set. I don't understand why I would enter... R-rage because of him." Kawahira hummed in thought.

"The Proteggere Stone has an odd way off knowing who's part of the set. So whoever you ran into was the future sky of Vongola or Mare. Mare doesn't have an owner at the moment though.* So, I think you may have had a run in with Vongola Decimo, Tsuna. Right now, you are supposed to protecting Vongola Nono, but the stone detects the future skies of the set. Very peculiar... Tsuna, could you tell me the name of the boy you helped?" Kawahira couldn't help but feel excited- Vongola Decimo in Namimori!

"His name? I think it was Hiro, but I'm not sure." Tsuna tilted his head to the side.

"Hiro, hmm? Well this is a lot of stuff to process, indeed. Training was supposed to start today, but because of this news it's cancelled."

"Cancelled!" Tsuna was shocked. He walked all the way over here for no reason then!

"But I can confirm that training **will** start tomorrow, so I would not advise being late. Goodbye for now, Tsunayoshi." Kawahira, who didn't bother to order any noodles, left with a flourish.

Tsuna was noticing a pattern of Kawahira leaving dramatically, and it was really starting to get on his nerves.

….

Wow hey where are the mistakes. Sorry, was that even understandable. I need to keep this note short so that I can take a nap. The ending was abrupt, I'm sorry and I'm tired.

*Has Byakuran gotten the Mare rings yet or what? I don't think he has.

About the whole Hibari being friends thing. I always thought that maybe because Hibari went so many years without having friends, he was always Hibarish in the actual story. But now that he actually made friends like three years earlier, he talks a bit more idk I'm sorry.

Yeah, the dominating school thing was totally necessary. You'll see after the time skip. Ooops, I'm revealing plot crap.

About updates, most of you lovely people asked for once a week with more words. I shall deliver, but maybe every once in awhile I'll do a two week. It depends on my stupid school schedule. So expect next chapter to have at least 4,000 words, okay? Yeah, time to nap for the rest of the day. Please review, I love it! Your reviews are so sweet, I love you guys. And with that, GOODNIGHT FOR ME!


	6. Acceptance

Hey time for the next chapter! Happy late Valentines Day! Or did I say it last chapter...I can't remember! Okay, time for the chap! This particular chapter is dedicated to training (somewhat) so here is the training I have been avoiding... Just so you know, I'll be switching between Protecter and Protettore...to avoid confusion I guess. Also, I'm not doing Tri-Ni-Set anymore. Just Trinisette. Typing all those hyphens drains me. Sorry, I'm a lazy author. Lazy author is lazy.

….

Rage. Something only the Protettore can enter when they feel a Sky has been threatened. A trained Protettore will only enter Rage in the most dire of situations. Unfortunately, an untrained one can go into Rage when a Sky has simply tripped onto the ground. This is why it is of utmost importance that the Protector must be trained as soon as possible.

Kawahira had an unbearable headache. Training this Protector would be far from a walk in the park. He had found a Sky within days of activating the stone; what horrible luck. He was still untrained, he could go into Rage if this supposed Vongola Decimo were simply bullied. Also, the boy looked rather sensitive. How could a sensitive boy like him be able to handle it when he finds out the truth? The truth was that there is only one job of the Protector. To be the shield of the Trinisette, and that was it. The Protector was merely a shield, and nothing else. A shield used to block and absorb attacks- a shield that will one day be battered. And when a shield was broken, and was no longer useful, it was thrown away. That was how being the Protector worked. Once you were useless, you were no longer important. How could such a sensitive boy handle knowing that one day he would be broken and useless?

Unless.

Unless he can accomplish what the first Protector did, creating unbreakable bonds with the ones he was destined to protect. Because of that, Protettore Primo was able to provide more use to the Trinisette than any other Protector. Could Tsunayoshi go where the first went, or was he going become useless and thrown away? Only time could tell.

….

"Tsunayoshi, how was your day?" Kawahira had a gentle smile on his face as he spoke, but Tsuna knew that today meant business.

"It was fine, thank you for asking." Tsuna averted his eyes from Kawahira- he was wary about the man's attitude.

"Good. Now, we will be going to your new training site. Follow me." Without looking back to see if Tsuna was following, Kawahira went out the street. Tsuna looked at all the cars that were parked outside. One car was white, and seemed sensible enough for a man like Kawahira. Another was a rather nice foreign sports car, but Kawahira didn't seem like the type to drive a car like that.

_'Which one is Kawahira's?' _Kawahira passed both cars and stopped at a different one. Tsuna gawked, what the hell was this? Kawahira proudly stood in front of a black motorcycle that had flames painted on the body.

"Do you like it Tsunayoshi? I got it a really cheap price. Now hop in, we can't waste precious daylight." Tsuna didn't really understand why Kawahira of all people had a motorcycle, but he still slid onto the back of it.

"By the way Tsunayoshi, I don't have any helmets, so if by chance you fall off, try and protect your head." Tsuna's eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot. If by chance, you see any bikers yelling that this is their bike, I need you to tell me. You know, just a precaution." Tsuna didn't know if he would live to see his family and friends again. Before Tsuna had a chance to get himself situated, Kawahira started the bike and shot off with a burst of speed. Tsuna's screams could be heard within a ten mile radius.

After about ten minutes, Kawahira stopped at a beautiful meadow. It was a gorgeous scene, but Tsuna ignored it in favor of painting the flowers with his lunch.

Tsuna wiped his mouth and stared at Kawahira.

"W-why do you d-drive so fast?"

"Until further notice, this will be your training site." Kawahira completely ignored the question. "Sit down (try and avoid your throw up) and listen to me." Tsuna sat down in the flowers delicately.

"That day when you protected your friend Hana, do you remember that?" Tsuna wasn't even going to question how Kawahira knew that. Instead, he just nodded.

"Flames sprouted out of your head, yes?" Once again, Tsuna nodded. "Well, those are obviously called flames. Flames are made of your life force. They reflect on who you are most of the time. There are seven flames. Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun, Mist, Cloud, and Sky. You have the sky flame, the rarest of them all. I would tell you more, but I quite frankly don't feel like it." Tsuna rolled his eyes. Kawahira seemed like an odd person, always making dramatic exits and being lazier than he appeared. Also, there was a very large chance that he stole a motorcycle and Tsuna really didn't want to get in the middle of that.

"Anyways, the first thing we'll be doing is trying to draw out your flames. The way you do this is by calling out your determination. How were you feeling when your flames first came out?"

"Anger. How could they do something like that? Haziness. I didn't really understand what was going on. Determination... I needed to protect her no matter what." Tsuna's eyes flashed orange. Kawahira smirked; this Protettore was more passionate than the past ones.

"Then Tsuna, call upon your determination. Remember what it felt like at that exact moment, when you needed to protect her." Tsuna tried to remember, and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. After a minute, Kawahira spoke again.

"Can you remember the absolutely agonizing pain of knowing your friend could of gotten seriously hurt, maybe even killed?" Tsuna felt a small spark in his chest, but no flames appeared. Kawahira hummed patiently. The Protector was protective by nature, so maybe this tactic would work.

"Weren't you so determined to save her with your dying will? If you died protecting Hana, would you be okay with that?" Kawahira let his eyelids droop, "As long as she was okay, would you die for her?" The spark in his chest erupted, and he could feel fire burn throughout his body. A lone orange flame danced in his hair.

"Say, Tsunayoshi. You haven't been friends with Hibari for long, but you already consider him a great companion. One day, he'll need someone to back him up, or he'll meet his downfall. You want to protect him when that happens, right?" Three more flames appeared in his hair.

"Please, let us not forget about your darling mother. You love her to death, the only person who cared about you for years. But let's face it, Tsunayoshi. Your mother is too trusting for her own good. One day, somebody is going to take advantage of her. With your father gone all the time, who's there to help her when she needs it most?" Flames surrounded his head in a flaring wreath. Kawahira took in the sight of his wreath; it was gorgeous. Flames like that only came one in a lifetime.

"These are your flames, Tsunayoshi. They aid you in fighting, got it?" Tsuna shrieked.

"Fi-fighting!? I can't fight! I'm only Dame-Tsuna. I can't do it!" His wreath disappeared. Kawahira sighed. He was happy they had made progress already, but it was hard to work with someone who had confidence issues.

"Tsunayoshi, that is enough flame training for today. When you get home, I want you to practice lighting your flames. Also, here is a book telling you all about flames." Kawahira handed Tsuna a rather hefty book.

_Harnessing Your Flame and the History of Flames_

_By Checkered History_

"...Kawahira-san, are you giving this to me because you're too lazy to do it yourself?" Tsuna said, dubiously studying the book, wondering if it was even valid. Kawahira whistled instead of responding. "How long do I have to read this?"

"The next training session." Kawahira pretended to not hear Tsuna's squeak of shock. "Also, Tsunayoshi, here's another book.

_A Beginner's Guide to Italian for Even the Most Clueless Sixth Graders _

_By Checkered Language_

"...Kawahira-san, why do I feel like something is being insinuated by that title? And do I have to learn Italian?" Tsuna could feel a headache coming on.

"You don't need to know why just yet, Tsunayoshi, and there is absolutely no secret message in the title. Oh, I almost forgot. Here, you are required to wear this as my apprentice." Kawahira handed Tsuna a leather bracelet that was tight on his wrist. It was checker patterned, with the colors being black and white. "Wear this at all times, and never take it off. Now, no more questions! For the rest of the session, you'll be running laps around the meadow. Tsuna could _definitely _feel a headache coming on.

….

Tsuna was not the fastest of readers, so it took him late into the night to finish the book about flames. It was actually quite a fascinating book, but the author name was certainly peculiar. After finishing the book, Tsuna dedicated about half an hour to creating a flame. He focused on the ones he wanted to protect. The tiny spark from before came, but his hair didn't spontaneously burst into flames. Tsuna put more concentration into it, and a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face. He closed his eyes in frustration.

_'Concentrate...' _A tiny bit of fire grew in Tsuna's palm, and Tsuna smiled brightly. It was fun to watch the flame move in his hand, but Tsuna felt the pull of sleep start to take over him. His eyelids couldn't stay open any longer, and he succumbed to his sleepiness. His small flame died down as his breathing started even, but his smile remained.

….

Tsuna could barely stay awake- four hours of sleep didn't do too much for him. His eyes were barely open during lunchtime. Thankfully, Hana hadn't been paying too much attention to him, for she was making plans with Hibari about the middle school. Yesterday, the duo went back to the school for reasons that Tsuna didn't feel like elaborating upon.

"So will you be able to take him down for me? Yesterday I already dealt with the baseball captain." Hana tried reasoning with Hibari about god knows what.

"Carnivore," Yes, Hibari had fully admitted Hana was a carnivore, "I have something to do today. I'll bite the herbivore to death tomorrow." Hana curtly nodded. She turned her gaze to Tsuna.

"Why do you look so tired? You need to get a goodnight's sleep or your grades will drop even more."

_ 'Hana certainly doesn't pull any punches.' _Tsuna thought as he winced at the jab.

"I'm just tired from studying." It wasn't exactly a lie; he had spent about an hour looking over the book on Italian.

Hana raised an eyebrow, not believing him. Tsuna silently cursed the fact that his friend was way too observant.

"I was reading." That was a much vaguer answer, and it was true. Hana clapped excitedly.

"Have you been reading the books that we got at the sale?" Tsuna had to suppress a shudder at the thought of the horrible sale. He shook his head, he hadn't gotten a chance to get to any of his books. "Then what were you reading?" Well, it wouldn't hurt to tell her about the Italian, right?

"Oh just an introductory book to Italian." He said nonchalantly. Hibari's eyes snapped towards Tsuna in thinly veiled curiosity. It went right over Tsuna's head, but Hana immediately noticed.

"So Tsuna, why the sudden interest in Italian?" Tsuna sweated, how was he supposed to answer that?

"The herbivore wants to learn a new language." Surprisingly, Hibari covered for him. Hana didn't buy it, but let it rest for now. Tsuna was surprised, why was Hibari helping him?

….

"Kawahira-san, we've been standing outside for ten minutes. Can I ask why?" It was true, and the cold from winter wasn't exactly gone yet, and just standing wasn't very pleasant.

"Be patient, we are waiting for somebody. Oh, there they are now." Tsuna followed Kawahira's gaze, and his mouth dropped open when he saw who it was. Walking towards their general direction was Hibari.

"W-why?" Tsuna couldn't even form a sentence.

"You'll see." Hibari got to them, but stayed a certain distance away. "Now boys, we're heading off." They walked to Kawahira's motorcycle, which now had a sidecar. Tsuna had a sinking feeling that the sidecar didn't belong to Kawahira.

"Hibari, you're in the sidecar. Tsuna's with me." Hibari looked taken aback by the motorcycle, which was understandable. Only a millisecond after Tsuna and Hibari got into their designated spots, Kawahira took off at full speed.

The wind was blowing against Tsuna's face painfully because of how fast they were going. Hibari's eyes were round, and it didn't look like they were going to return back to normal for awhile.

"Kawahira-san?" No response. The wind was too loud to be heard over it. "Kawahira-san!" Still nothing. Tsuna wanted to tap his shoulder, but his hands were fastened onto the leather seat in fear of falling off. "KAWAHIRA!" Tsuna thought he saw a slight twitch from the man, but he couldn't be sure. Giving up, he waited until they got back to the meadow.

When they got there, Tsuna fell of the seat. He had almost fallen off twice during the trip. Hibari's eyes were still round, and he quietly said,

"Wow." Kawahira turned the vehicle off.

"Now Tsunayoshi, you may be wondering why Kyoya is here. He is here because you need to learn how to fight. I'll be giving you a few pointers here and there, but we'll start you off with someone that's your age. But first, we need to get you into Wreath of Flames mode. Have you been practicing your flame?" Tsuna dipped his head. "Let's see."

Tsuna put all his concentration into making a flame appear. After a moment, a ball of fire erupted into his hand. Tsuna smiled triumphantly. He looked up from his palm to see find Kawahira's reaction, but his eyes found Hibari's instead. Hibari looked amazed; something that you didn't see everyday. Tsuna stared at his friend. His purpose was to protect, wasn't it? Well, he would protect the boy he was looking at. Without realizing it, his resolve lit up his flames. They became purer, and the flames spread around in Tsuna's hair. A gentle smile was on Tsuna's face as he continued to look at Hibari.

Kawahira nearly applauded; managing to activate the Wreath of Flames by himself? Kawahira was very glad that the Protettore would almost always have an aptitude for lighting their flames. It decreased his work load by a lot.

"Good job Tsuna. Now, get out your mittens. They're inside the stone waiting for you to call upon them. Taking a deep breath, Tsuna summoned his mittens. When they popped up on his hands, they were the gloves he had worn before. Tsuna assumed that they could transform.

"Now Tsunayoshi, spar with Kyoya." Hibari's tonfas seemingly came out of nowhere, and the skylark lunged at Tsuna.

….

"...My face...hurts..." Tsuna's voice could barely be heard because he was facedown in the grass. Hibari had destroyed him battle. For the first few minutes, Tsuna had managed to dodge, but his number one enemy made itself known. Stamina. He quickly ran out of breath, and paused for a breather. But Hibari obviously didn't know what a break was and slammed Tsuna into the ground. This had happened at least eight times. But every time Tsuna fought Hibari, he got a tiny bit of experience.

_'Tsuna is a pretty fast learner. I wonder why his grades don't reflect that...' _Kawahira internally said.

Kawahira would probably never tell Tsuna that he did a full length in depth research on the boy. It would probably creep him out.

"Okay, that's enough for now. Tsuna, time to work on your stamina. I will be helping you from my chair." Kawahira had somehow brought an inflatable chair with him to the meadow. He looked ridiculous in an electric blue inflatable chair, but Tsuna wasn't going to be the one to tell him that.

Kawahira was too damn lazy. Anyone could see how powerful he was, but did he ever demonstrate it? No, he preferred to sit down and yell at Tsuna from a considerable distance.

Kawahira was lazy because he hated training. Yes it was necessary, but after training nine of them, he was kind of over it. He always knew how it turned out.

Hibari lay down in the grass to take a nap, and Tsuna desperately wanted to join him. Those four hours of sleep weren't helping him at all. Still, he carried on with his stamina training. This would help him out in the long run. Right?

….

"Please don't tell me we're going back to the middle school. I am so done with this 'infiltrating the school' stuff. I just want to eat my lunch." Both Hibari and Hana ignored Tsuna they walked in the street. "Can we at least get on the sidewalk, I really don't want to get hit." Hana yanked Tsuna's wrist to get him to stop complaining.

"Well, it's hard to explain, but you're needed. You'll only have to do this until the end of the school year, which is very close." Hana's answer didn't help him at all.

When they arrived, there was no plan. Hibari just kicked a door open and the duo walked in like they owned the place. Tsuna lagged behind them, contemplating if he could get back to the elementary school without his friends noticing.

Whenever a student saw Hana and Hibari, they paled dramatically and jumped out of the way. Then, when they saw Tsuna, they would bow to him in fear, with a tiny bit of respect. The whole situation was starting to creep out Tsuna. Why were they acting like that? Even weirder, once the trio passed, the students all moved in the same direction. They all seemed to be heading for the main doors, but Tsuna couldn't be sure. The trio reached their destination, and Hana held the door open for Tsuna, who politely thanked her.

There, in all his glory was Hiruma Riku. He glared at Hibari and Hana, but he held himself with fear. When his eyes rested on Tsuna, he nearly soiled his pants. Tsuna tried to ignore the boy's strangled gasp.

"Are you ready Tsuna?" Hana inquired. Tsuna also tried to ignore the supportive squeeze on the shoulder she gave him. It was too much of a hassle to figure out what was going on with his friends. Hana was being friendly and supportive, and Hibari had a messed up smile on his face. Something was very wrong.

Hiruma walked up to the railings and stood before it as if he were addressing a crowd. Inching forward to see what he was doing, Tsuna realized that there was a crowd. Hiruma cleared his throat.

"Fellow students, you all know me as Hiruma Riku, the track team captain. Also, I was at the top of this school, and I was basically king. But due to something I don't think anyone saw coming, I will be stepping down from the throne." The crowd mumbled to themselves, they didn't actually think he would step down. Hiruma help up his hand to silence them.

"And now, please meet your new rulers." Hiruma stepped to the side, wiping his eyes.

"I am Kurokawa Hana, and I am the brains of our group. I want all of you monkeys to know that if you defy me, I can and will show you hell so fast your minds will not be able to work anymore. Do not cross me if you know what is good for you." Hana looked like a dictator as she stared down at the crowd. Hibari went next.

"Herbivores, if you dare disturb the peace in Namimori, I will bite you to death." The crowd was very silent. Hana shoved Tsuna to the front.

"Speak now, you're the official leader." Hana whispered. Tsuna choked on his spit.

"I am so sorry that you have to go through this." Tsuna's voice could barely be heard by the students. All of the students of Namimori Middle School were silent, but as if they were one being, they started cheering.

"TSUNA! TSUNA! TSUNA!" How the hell did they know his name is all Tsuna wanted to know.

Hana beamed; they were now the top dogs of Namimori Middle. Technically, Tsuna was at the very top due to him being the one to take down Hiruma. But he didn't need to know that yet. Hana couldn't wait to take over the Student Council, now that would be interesting

Hibari knew that this school was filled with delinquents. He also knew that they needed to be bitten to death at all costs. Hibari couldn't wait to hear their screams.

Tsuna wanted to go home, his stomach hurt. There was nothing exciting about any of this. In fact, he had a horrible feeling about all of this.

…. Time Skip

Training had been going on for about two months, but Hibari still destroyed Tsuna in combat. Even though his stamina was a lot better, Tsuna was no match for Hibari.

"Tsunayoshi, what have I told you about your punches? You'll never be able to protect someone with your kitten punches." Is what Kawahira yelled out from his inflatable chair. Tsuna fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Once again, Tsunayoshi and Kyoya. I want you two sparring until Tsuna can land a somewhat decent punch." Both Tsuna and Hibari got in their stances. The skylark broke into a run and swung his tonfa. Tsuna attempted to dodge, but Hibari knew this was what Tsuna always did. He moved his tonfa in the direction he knew Tsuna would go in, and the weapon clipped Tsuna's head. Hibari dug his other tonfa into Tsuna's stomach. Tsuna moaned; he would never win one of these battles. Suddenly, the stone hummed against his skin. It was trying to tell him something.

_'Use it, use it, use it!' _Use what? Sometimes his stone gave him small messages, but this one didn't make much sense. _'Use your ability!' _About three weeks ago, Kawahira had given him a lecture on the special abilities of the Protector. Each one had an ability unlike anything else, and it distinguished every single Protector. Kawahira had been trying to draw out his ability, but he had no idea how to.

"Every single damn one of those Protectors refused to tell me how they got theirs." Is what Kawahira had said back then.

_'Use it!' _The whispers grew more urgent.

"How do I use it?" Tsuna said aloud as he successfully dodged an attack. Hibari paid no attention to if the boy was talking to him or not.

_'...Accept the stone. The stone has accepted you, but have you accepted it? If you do this, you'll be a full fledged Protector.' _

A turmoil of emotions swirled throughout Tsuna. Yes, he wanted to become the Protector, but he was Dame-Tsuna. How could he do it? But then again, Kawahira slowly raised his confidence. Maybe he could do it if he worked hard enough. Maybe... The onslaught of emotions stopped, and only one feeling remained- resolve.

"I want to become the Protector! I accept the stone!" _'Do you accept the fact that you are a shield, made to protect and absorb?' _

"I accept!" _'Do accept the fact that once you gain your ability there is no going back?' _

_ "_I accept! I'll protect them! I'll do it!" _'As you wish, Protettore.' _A tingling went up and down Tsuna's spine. Fire entered his throat; he could barely breathe. His wreath flared, dancing elegantly. The tingling got a lot stronger, and then something burst out of his back- or more specifically, his waist. Pure sky flames that looked vaguely like tentacles came out of his waist. Two on the top, two on the bottom. Tsuna felt a rush of power- this was what an ability was like?

Kawahira jumped out of his chair. A Kagune had come out of his waist unexpectedly. Kawahira knew quite a bit about Kagune- they came from the myth of ghouls. Kagune were the weapons that came out of ghouls backs- some were used for defense, others for combat. From what he could tell, Tsuna's looked like they were made for combat. Flexible, but firm, Kagune were deadly. And there was one coming right out of his student's waist in sky flame form. This had to be his ability.

Hibari froze- who wouldn't? Tsuna walked forward, his Kagune were poised to attack. Instead, two of them wrapped around Hibari's wrists and held him right in front of Tsuna. The Protettore couldn't help but smirk- he had finally won. Tsuna punched Hibari right in the stomach- his punch far from being weak.

….

Moments after Tsuna won, he collapsed to his knees. Using his ability for the first time had drained him dramatically. Hibari lay with his back in the grass. He was having a hard time understanding what had happened. Kawahira ran over to Tsuna, and he was smiling excitedly.

"Tsunayoshi, you have finally unlocked your ability. Care to tell me how you did this?" Maybe this generation Protector would tell him the secret. But Tsuna understood why all of them had sealed their lips. It had been a personal moment, the stone asking them to accept it. And to officially become the Protector...it seemed too special for Tsuna to say anything.

"No thank you, Kawahira-san. I think I'll be keeping this to myself.' Tsuna smiled apologetically. Kawahira inwardly cursed- he was beginning to doubt he would ever learn.

"Well Tsunayoshi, we need to go back to the noodle shop now. I'm getting hungry, and I need to explain what your ability is. Tsuna's stomach growled at that moment, and he hopefully looked up at Kawahira. The older man looked away- he didn't like buying food for people.

"Kyoya, it's time to go." Hibari stood, and his eyes were burning into Tsuna's. He only said one thing.

"Carnivore." Tsuna wept internally- did this mean Hibari would get even more vicious?

….

I'm sleepy, and I don't know why. I need more sleep. This chapter was kinda off in my opinion, and that might have to do with my current mood. Time for the Author's note.

There you have it! One of the major plots of the story! Perhaps even the main plot! Tsuna needs to be able to create such powerful bonds with the Trinisette or else... Yeah, there are the arcs, but I'm a lot more concerned about these friendships. So yeah, I keep on imagining Tsuna just chilling out with Fon and both of them drinking tea. I need that to happen so badly seriously.

KAGUNE

About that... has anyone reading this read/watch Tokyo Ghoul. I swear that anime is freaking amazing. Anyways, I got the Kagune thing from Tokyo Ghoul, so it wasn't my idea. If you want better clarity on what it is, look up "Kaneki Ken Kagune." Then, you'll see his awesome Kagune. That is what Tsuna's looks like, but his are thinner and they're made out of sky flames. I was kinda iffy about adding it, but I decided to do it.

Also, if you think the stone asking Tsuna to accept it was out of place a random, that was intentional. This will be elaborated upon in later chapters.

REVIEWS

I want to respond to your reviews personally, but I'm an awkward turd that can't be social. I'm so sorry I feel awful if you were expecting a response, I'm so sorry. So these are responses that could help clear up plot stuff.

Anyways, in response to some of your absolutely lovely reviews.

I think Hiro's supposed be Tsuna's cousin?: Some of you guys catch onto the smallest things...

AHHH! I thought that Tsuna is going to become the Vongola Decimo too! It's a disappointment. :( At least I would feel better if Hiro's guardian are not canon Tsuna's guardian. I won't them to always be with Tsuna, and going into rage because of the tri-ni-sette skies make me think that they are more important than Tsuna himself. Well, whatever.

:Yeah, this is actually kinda of conflicting to me... Trust me, you want them to be Vongola Decimo's guardians. Or else Tsuna wouldn't interact with them at all. At all. About rage... Well, one of the plots is Tsuna fighting the fact that he is only a shield. He goes into rage because he 'his only purpose is to protect' but we all know that's not true, and he'll find a way to become more than just a shield.

….And somebody asked for Terrible Trio cuddling. I thought about it, and now I want it too! Im like 99% sure I'll find away to squeeze it in because I'm obsessed with the idea of it.

Anyways, enough of that! Thanks for reading, I love you all. Please review, it is honestly the best feeling in the world. I'll see you next week!


	7. Vongola's a Fruit?

So sorry for the late update! Sunday was my sister's eighteenth birthday, and I was so busy that this fanfiction completely slipped from my mind. I'll try not to let it happen again. Anyways, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites. You guys rock. Now on to the chapter. Beware, the big time skip has arrived! This chapter is special. It's mostly shown in the eyes of Hiro- the supposed Vongola Decimo!

….

TWO YEAR TIME SKIP

"Nanase Hiro, you are to wake up this instant!" Hiro's mother's stern voice woke him up.

_'And I had been having a really good dream too...' _His dream happened to be about him heroically saving Hana Kurokawa, who had been his crush ever since he entered middle school. But she was older than him, and way out of his league. Not to mention that she was always with the demon prefect and...him.

"I'm up," Hiro rolled out of bed, trying to ignore his mother's heated glare. Nanase Aiko was practically a drill sergeant- she was super strict.

"You need to wake up at seven 'o clock sharp. You're hopeless! I don't know what to do with you sometimes..." Hiro tried not to sigh, it was the same conversation every time. Aiko stiffly left the room and left Hiro to change. Hiro slipped on his uniform and headed to the bathroom. Not even bothering to look in the mirror, he started to comb his bed hair. If Hiro had one thing to be proud of, it was his hair. A creamy chocolate brown, with a streak of blonde hair that often got him weird looks.

But he was a 'total Ice King' as his rather tactless classmates had described him. He had never liked the title, but somehow, it had stuck and half the school called him that.

It really wasn't his fault that they found him to be a cold, unfeeling jerk. He just didn't like talking to people, and it was hard to get him to open up...In fact, most people considered it too tedious of a task to even strike up a casual conversation with him. Just two years ago, he had actually been an excitable, warm boy. But then when the incident happened, his personality did an 180.

_'And,' _He thought, tightening his comb, _'Mom threw herself into her job full force, and now I doubt she even knows what a break was.' _Yes, after finding out her husband had been cheating on her for almost six years had shattered her heart. She rarely took breaks, and it was rather rare when she took the time to wake Hiro up. Her attitude had been rather awful, and it negatively impacted her son. And now, Hiro found it difficult to trust people. He would always put on an unemotional mask, showing no emotion. He was afraid of getting hurt like his mother, and he thought this was the only way to avoid it.

"Nanase Hiro you will come down here right this instant!" This was odd- he usually had more time than that to get ready. With his hair half done, he walked downstairs. There, in the foyer was his mom, who looked rather smug.

"Hiro, meet your new tutor. His name is Reborn." Hiro's head swiveled to the door, where he saw nothing.

"Hopeless-Hiro, my name is Reborn and I'm here to be your new in-home tutor." Hiro looked down to where the squeaky voice came from, and what he saw was a baby.

"?"

….

Hiro still didn't understand what was going on. A baby tutor who looked like he could easily kill everyone in this town? Not something that Hiro could easily comprehend. Also, why did he need a tutor? His grades were just fine. So maybe there was a .5 chance of him getting a 100, but what did that matter?

The damn baby was walking to school with him- Hiro remained silent. Hopefully the baby would get the hint that he had no intentions of becoming friends with him. This was just fine with Reborn, who kept a creepy smirk on his face.

"Nanase Hiro, age thirteen. Feels cold rage towards his mother, and holds a deep loathing for his father. Grades are average, but they could be much better considering he has no social life. Is described by his peers as cold and unfeeling, and therefore, was dubbed the 'Ice King.' Rarely shows facial expression as of a few years ago. Has a rather embarrassing crush on Kurokawa Hana." Hiro slowly turned his head to the baby- his smirk was even creepier now. How did he know all of this?

"Research." And how did he know what he was thinking?'

"I can read minds." Hiro pinched himself.

"This isn't a dream." Hiro wanted to go home and pretended that this day never happened. "Nanase Hiro, you have a crush on Kurokawa." Hiro managed to keep his blush down. The baby continued.

"Then confess to her." Hiro could't help but blush- him, confess to Kurokawa? Unthinkable. She was older, pretty, powerful, and she was always with _those two._ "You won't say anything." His wide eyes narrowed. "I can fix that. Die." The green chameleon on the baby's fedora- that Hiro pretended that it didn't exist for the sake of his sanity- transformed into a gun. Wait. What? Hiro watched in horror as the baby shot a bullet, which hit him right in the middle of his head.

_'I'm leaving this world, but I have so many regrets. I wish...I had told...him...to go screw himself...' _It was an odd regret, but it was genuine. Hiro hit the ground, but he could still feel himself falling through darkness. Just then, he saw the light. It was beautiful, and he reached out towards it. He was almost there when-

"Then be reborn." The damn baby interrupted it, and the light disappeared. Warmth entered his chest, and determination surged through him. His eyes snapped open, now pure white. An orange flame was on his forehead.

"REBORN! TELL HIM TO GO SCREW HIMSELF WITH MY DYING WILL!" His uniform burst off of him, leaving him in only frog boxers. Hiro didn't care, and bolted in the direction of the school. Behind, stood Reborn, who stood there silently. He made a quick conclusion, right then and there.

_'This student is going to be fun.' _

….

Blasting throughout the streets, Hiro had a single objective. Tell him to go screw himself, something he had never had the courage to do! Yes, Hiro hit about two cars, and a weird motorcycle that flames on it. Outdated much? Who put cheesy flames on motorcycles? When he got to the school, he let out a ferocious roar- he was going to do this no matter what. Hibari was at the gate waiting for late comers. When he saw Hiro, he got into a ready stance. In most circumstances, Hiro would've rolled his eyes and taken the punishment. But now, in his adrenaline rush, he zoomed past the prefect. There was no time to waste.

"Herbivore, for public indecency I will-" Hibari never got to finish his sentence. In most circumstances, Hiro would've rolled his eyes and taken the punishment. But now, in his adrenaline rush, he zoomed past the prefect. There was no time to waste.

"...Herbivore." Hibari was at a loss.

….

Hiro was in such a hurry to get to his destination that he knocked over Kyoko Sasagawa and Kensuke Mochida, whom the latter angrily yelled after him. Hiro ignored him, never even bothering to say sorry.

Hiro ran up the stairs like his life depended on it. There, at the end of the hallway, was the Disciplinary Committee of the Student Council room. The name was rather odd, but it was the best compromise between Hibari and Hana.

Hiro threw open the door, and charged into the room. There, in all his short glory was Sawada Tsunayoshi, the president of the DCSC, and the student body. He basically ruled the school, and was Hana's best friend. That last fact alone made Hiro despise him. But he couldn't help but feel that the boy was familiar.

Tsuna looked up from his papers, "Can I help- oh no." Tsuna stared at the orange flame in horror. Hiro took a deep breath and screamed.

"GO SCREW YOURSELF, SAWADA TSUNAYOSHI!" For some odd reason, Tsuna looked deeply hurt at his exclamation. Hiro's flame died out, and he was left in only his boxers and an offended president. Not the best situation ever.

At that moment Reborn decided to appear, and for the first time Hiro was thankful to him. The baby barely spared a glance at the president, but Tsuna's eyes widened. His skin was chalk white, and his gaze was fastened onto Reborn's pacifier. After a moment, the baby realized this, and turned his curious gaze to Tsuna.

"What are you looking at?" Tsuna snapped out of his trance and started floundering for an excuse.

"I was- you were- there was lint on your suit, nice suit by the way. Hand tailored, I'm assuming? Ha, now if you excuse me, I'll be on my way to- run to a-a meeting! Yeah, a meeting! Have a nice night!" Tsuna bolted from the room.

"Did he just say have a nice night at eight o clock at the morning?" Hiro stared after the president.

"He's probably one of the worst liars I've ever seen." Reborn knew he would have to check this boy out more.

….

"Reborn... I need a new uniform."

….

When Hiro got to his classroom, the class broke out into snickers.

"He's a complete pervert." What?

"I hear he was trying to attract girls..." Hiro refused to blush at the comment.

"He totally knocked down Kyoko-chan and Mochida-kun. He should be ashamed of himself!" Did he run over some people? He wouldn't be very surprised if he bowled over a few innocent bystanders. Kyoko, the school idol, wasn't in his class. And he only knew that Mochida was in eighth grade. Hiro wasn't sure if he should say sorry- it would seem out of character.

When the lunch bell rang, Hiro was the first one out. He needed to get out of there just in case some jerks decided to tease him about his 'episode' from the morning. He was halfway to the roof- his haven- when Mochida himself grabbed onto his wrist.

"Hey, Ice King! You were the one who bumped into me and Kyoko today, weren't you. You big pervert! I bet you bumped into Kyoko because you have a crush on her, and you knew bumping into her was the only way to get her attention." Hiro stifled a sigh- this boy had absolutely zero logic skills.

"Really, now? And why would I bump into you?" His mask was coming back.

"Because you know that Kyoko loves me, and you hate me for it. You should really get someone who would actually love you. Oh, wait. That's only your mother!" The crowd that been forming 'Ooohed.'

_'I'm surrounded by idiots who get off on drama and bullying. This school is ridiculous.'_ Hiro raised an eyebrow.

"That's nice." He shook off Mochida's hand and continued walking. Ignoring Hiro's obvious dismissal, Mochida grabbed Hiro's shoulder and slammed him into the wall.

"Listen," He seethed, sending spittle onto Hiro's face. "Kyoko is mine, and only mine! She belongs to me, not you! After school, I challenge you to a kendo match. The prize is Kyoko!" Hiro's face remained blank- but on the inside he was exasperated.

He slipped out of Mochida's grasp and stared at the kendo captain.

"Are you a fool? Do not treat someone as if they are an object to be fought over. It's disgraceful." His mask slipped- ire and annoyance showed on his face. Nobody bothered to stop him when he walked away.

….

Even though it had been a few hours since the confrontation, Hiro's bad mood hadn't diminished. When the final bell rung, Hiro stuffed all his books in his backpack. As he passed other students, he could hear some of them whispering about what a coward he was.

_'They don't matter, they don't matter.'_ It had become his mantra when his fake personality appeared.

When he got outside, Mochida and his friends were waiting for him.

_'Not this, not right now...'_ Hiro thought in aggravation. Mochida and his friends had cocky looks on their faces.

"Ready to fight, Ice King?" Had he already forgotten how Hiro had said no?

"Mochida-san, I said no, so leave me alone." He pushed past the first goon, but another clasped his hand firmly onto his shoulder.

"Well Ice King, let me tell you something. Nobody exactly cares about what you say. Let's get going. Hiro struggled, but his small body was no match for someone almost twice his size.

….

Hiro tried to keep a calm face, but inwardly he was about to cry. How did three-fourths of the school find out about the fight in the gym in less than six minutes? Hiro hated this school and its gossipy students.

He didn't get any equipment- just a sword that looked like it was two hits away from snapping in half. This whole fight was rigged, no doubt about it.

Mochida, who was across him, was gripped his sword in excitement.

_'Does this guy get off on beating up defenseless underclassman or something?' _Hiro couldn't help but cringe at his rather rude thought.

"Hey! Ice King! What's with the faces, are you practicing for when I beat you into the ground?" But instead of looking at Hiro, Mochida turned his head toward the referee. Hiro blinked- did his opponent just wink at the person deciding the match? He bit back a sob- he was done for.

"Ready, begin!" Hiro wasn't prepared for the first strike. He was too busy listening to the rules. One hit and he wins? Not a chance.

Mochida's sword barely missed him. The only reason it hadn't smacked him on shoulder was because Hiro stumbled out of the way in time. Mochida wasn't deterred- his sword swung at him again. This time, Hiro couldn't dodge and in desperation he dropped to the floor. Not his best plan, but it was better than getting hit on the head. From his position on the floor, his sight landed on the window where Reborn happened to be sitting. Wait- Reborn? Hiro opened his mouth- but Reborn beat him to it.

"Die." Hiro could hear him from all the way on the other side of the gym. Reborn's pet chameleon turned into a gun, and the baby pulled the trigger. Meanwhile, Mochida thought that Hiro was looking at him with pure terror. If only he knew that Hiro was looking past him.

The bullet hit him right in the forehead. That odd feeling came back- if only he had taken out Mochida- maybe then he could save Kyoko from him. She deserved someone that didn't see her as only an object. A feeling of intensity filled the pit of Hiro's stomach, and he popped right back onto his feet. His clothes also happened to pop- right of his body.

"REBORN! TELL MOCHIDA HE NEEDS TO RESPECT WOMEN AND PEOPLE IN GENERAL!"

Reborn was annoyed that he had been surprised by the Vongola Decimo _twice _in one day.

"MOCHIDA, YOU MUST RESPECT PEOPLE! EVERYONE IS EQUAL, YET YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT! YOU SAY THAT THE PRIZE WILL BE KYOKO, AS IF SHE IS AN OBJECT! SHE IS A LIVING HUMAN BEING THAT DOES NOT NEED OR WANT TO BE OBJECTIFIED! NOBODY WILL PUT UP WITH YOU IF YOU CONTIUNED TO MINDLESSLY SPOUT YOUR IGNORANT BELIEFS! SO I'LL ONLY SAY THIS ONCE- TREAT WOMEN AND PEOPLE THE WAY YOU WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED!" The flame on his forehead died down, and he was no longer in his crazed state.

Hiro picked up his sword- that he had dropped when he got shot- and jabbed his sword at Mochida's ribs.

"My point." Hiro glared at the referee, daring him to say otherwise. The referee hastily held up the white flag.

"W-white wins!"

Hiro then put the bamboo blade down, and walked out of the gym without another word. Reborn lowered his fedora, and jumped out of the window. At the back of the gym was a boy who wasn't impressed by Hiro's performance.

"Tch. He isn't worth crap." The boy knew he could easily take down this supposed, 'Vongola Decimo.'

….

"Reborn, why do you keep on shooting me? You need to stop!"

"What are you talking about? I'm just an innocent little girl."

"And why are you wearing a little girl costume and braids?"

….

Reborn was supposed to be a tutor, but most tutors didn't shoot their students when they got an answer wrong.

"Hopeless-Hiro, I haven't been here for even a day, and you've already disappointed me. Now, what is the answer to number eleven?" Hiro gulped at the dark aura his 'tutor' was emitting. He put down an answer, hoping it was correct.

"...Hopeless Hiro."

"Y-yes?" He would not show his nervousness, he would not show his nervousness.

"How do you put an answer to a history question, on a math packet." This was not a question, not at all.

"I was- my mind was wandering." Hiro was looking for an excuse.

"We'll have to make sure that doesn't happen again." Reborn shot at Hiro, and the boy had a sinking feeling that if those bullets hit him, he wouldn't enter Dying Will mode.

….

At school the next day, there was a new student.

"Students, let us give a warm welcome to Gokudera Hayato, our new transfer student!" The girls were gushing at the new boy, who was, 'A total foreign hottie.'

"Now Gokudera, you'll be sitting right next to-" Gokudera ignored the teacher and walked down the aisle to Hiro. The transfer student scowled and glared at Hiro, and kicked his seat.

Then he growled out a short, "Move." To the poor boy sitting next to Hiro. The boy squeaked and scrambled out of the seat as fast as he could. Gokudera sat down, oozing attitude as he did.

"Ah...Gokuder-" Gokudera glowered at the teacher, who wisely shut up. The class was hushed except for several girls who had dubbed him, 'A total bad boy.'

Hiro ignored the whole ordeal and continued to stare out of the window, oblivious to Gokudera's heated gaze.

….

At lunch, most of the school was buzzing about the new transfer student that seemed to have a rebellious streak. But every so often, someone would look at Hiro in either fear, respect, or both. Nobody had forgotten what had happened yesterday. And when Mochida passed, he gave Hiro a brief nod. It looked like Mochida wouldn't be disrespecting any girls for awhile. Hiro personally hoped it would be forever.

Suddenly, a figure blocked his view of Mochida. It was the transfer student, right? Hiro wasn't exactly sure, because he had spent the morning in a sleepy haze due his six hour tutoring sessions. He only knew that there was a new student.

"You aren't worthy to be Vongola Tenth! I won't allow you!" He passionately yelled.

"Excuse me, but what is a Vongola?" Hiro thought that it might be a fruit. Gokudera couldn't keep the disbelief off his face. Did he have the right person?

"...I challenge you for the position of Vongola Decimo! Today, after school!" Gokudera marched away, seemingly confident.

Hiro was starting to think that Vongola wasn't a fruit.

"Hopeless Hiro." A tree's leaves opened up to reveal Reborn. "I never told you because I had business to deal with. You are going to become a mafia boss, Vongola Decimo. Vongola is the strongest mafia group in Italy, and I am here to train you so you can become the tenth boss." Reborn knew it wasn't the best way to reveal it, but he had serious business to attend to.

"What the heck are you talking about? Are you crazy? Why is a baby telling me I'm going to become a mafia boss? Isn't the mafia basically crime? Are you going to kill me?"

"You have certainly become more talkative, and you're showing more facial expression. What is your true personality?" Hiro gaped. The damn baby had completely ignored his questions!

"Anyways, Gokudera is going to fight you for your position. You'll have to beat him, or be killed."

Hiro silently devised a plan. He would go along with the craziness, and then eventually distance himself from it. Maybe he would even run to a foreign country. Hiro knew it was a horrible plan, but Reborn had his gun out. Hiro also knew that it would be stupid to go against the damn baby, so he nodded slowly.

"You're taking this too well, Hopeless-Hiro. Do I need to beat you to get you to agree with me?" Hiro gulped- he needed to get away from this as soon as possible.

….

For the rest of school, Gokudera's eyes bored into the side of Hiro's head. Even this time, Hiro ignored it. He was too busy trying to improve his escape plan. This only riled up Gokudera, and the person behind him nearly started crying in fear.

When the school bell rang, Gokudera was out the door in an instant, with Hiro reluctantly dragging himself to the back of the school.

When he got to the place where they were supposed to meet, Gokudera was nowhere to be seen. This irked Hiro, because right now he could've been walking to the grocery store for snacks. After five minutes, Hiro grew impatient and started to walk away. After only taking six steps, there was a loud bellow from the north.

Gokudera was charging at him, looking like a crazed bull.

"I will become Vongola Tenth, and will make sure the fake perishes!" Gokudera took out several sticks of dynamite.

_'What is this, a western cartoon?!' _It was really hard to keep his blank facade in a situation like this. Gokudera lit three sticks with no lighter and sent them at Hiro. The sticks landed at Hiro's feet. Nearly screeching, Hiro stamped them out.

"If that's not enough, take this!" Gokudera sent out thrice as many from the first wave, and Hiro knew he was in trouble.

Right before the sticks reached Hiro, Reborn hopped onto a wall.

"If you can't put all of them out regularly, do it with your dying will." Hiro heard a trigger being pulled, and a bullet went right through his chest. Hiro fell to the ground, and popped right up. This time, his boxers were lavender. Hiro was relieved that he was wearing his least embarrassing pair.

"REBORN! PUT OUT ALL OF THIS DYNAMITE WITH MY DYING WILL!" Hiro extinguished the sticks in a second.

"W-well, take this!" Gokudera, being a one trick pony, pulled out enough dynamite to last a year. It seemed to be too much for him to handle, and he shifted his weight. This sudden movement caused several to drop out of his hands. Distracted he tried to pick them up, but the rest fell out of his hands. And all of them were lit. Gokudera realized that this was his end. He was destined to die as a nobody-hitman who never made up his sister. This was the wor-

"REBORN!" Hiro leaped at Gokudera and took out all of the sticks. Gokudera at Hiro in shock- most people would let him die.

"Y-you saved my life! Please let me serve you as your right-hand man!" Hiro, who had left deathperation mode, blinked.

Reborn smirked. Hiro had gained his first subordinate.

"That's not necessary." Hiro shook his head.

"Please, let me! You are one of the kindest person I have ever met! Let me serve you!" Gokudera kneeled in front of Hiro.

"Well, you don't have to serve me. But, you can be my friend. I-I've always wanted one of those..." Embarrassed, Hiro blushed heavier than he ever had before. Asking for a friend was something you did in preschool!

Gokudera blushed and averted his eyes. "I would like that too..." He had never a real friend before, and his sister didn't count. What was it like having one?

Reborn raised an eyebrow. What was this odd change of events?

Hiro then did something Reborn never would've expected. He smiled. A very tiny smile, barely any teeth showing, but a genuine smile no less. Gokudera had to take a breath at the sight.

"Friends?"

"Friends!" Gokudera smiled right back at him.

Reborn narrowed his eyes at Hiro. What exactly was Nanase Hiro's true nature? He would be sure to find out.

….

And Cut! Hahahaha did I accidentally put a ship into this story? I hope not! I can't even write romance hahahaha. But I couldn't help myself, I'm too big a fan of slash. I'm not going to make this story self indulgent tho, but now I totally ship Hiro and Gokudera. But I'm not going to incorporate it into the story. I'm just going to write one-shots that I'm not going to put on the site, hahahaha. Curse my shipper heart... Oooopps I'm rambling

ACTUAL AUTHOR'S NOTE- READ

IMPORTANT QUESTION: WHAT BUSINESS DID REBORN HAVE TO DEAL WITH? Tell me what you think!

What do you guys think of Hiro. Honestly, I love him to death. He has brown hair with a blonde streak that he got when he was like eight because he was being rebellious for no reason. He still dyes it. What is the true nature of Hiro...you'll never believe it! Just kidding, you guys probably already know.

Those small snippets I put into the story, you know...The ones that had to do with tutoring, and Reborn's cosplay? Yeah, those are little things that could have been elaborated on but I decided not to. Tell me if you think they take away from the story! Anyways, Hiro is a hardcore believer in everyone being equal. So yes, you could call him a feminist if you wanted to... But he would probably prefer to just be called someone with common sense.

Anyways, once again, you guys rock. I'm so sorry for the one week late update, I feel horrible about that. Please review, and I'll see you next week! Don't worry, next chapter is mostly from our Loveable Tsuna's view. This was a rare type of chapter.

NEXT WEEK: Yamamoto?


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